Clique: Sixth Grade
by Luv2Live Live2Luv
Summary: Each girl special in her own way: An Alpha: Beauty and Brains, not to mention Bucks. A Beta: An exotic beauty who loves to gossip. A Gamma: Really a tomboy, but has no one to have fun with. A Delta: Smart, smart, smart. And don't forget athletic. And an Epsilon: Will this be her fairytale rags-to-riches story? What happens when they come together? Will they become THE CLIQUE?
1. The Clique

**Massie Block:** She just left PMS in favor of OCD, and has vowed to become the Alpha of her new school. No longer will she be left-behind Massie, scared of Ahnna and everyone else. Instead, she'll be MASSIE BLOCK, leader. But she's in for a surprise. OCD likes their current Alpha, and Skye Hamilton has never been one to go down without a fight. How far will Massie go to acheive her ends?

**Alicia Rivera: **She has one goal: sail smoothly through school until she can get the job she covets: news anchor. Nothing could be better than being paid to dress nicely and gossip about people on live TV. Then she meets Massie Block and discovers that her new friend wishes desperately to be Alpha. So Alicia comes up with a new plan: help Massie climb the social ladder, and then take over, and become Alpha herself. But it isn't easy to outsmart Massie Block.

**Dylan Marvil: **She is the daughter of Merri-Lee Marvil, the famous talk-show host. Dylan knows she's lucky, but she's sick of hanging out with the COCs (Children of Celebrities). She wants more fun in her life, and Massie Block is the perfect person to help her loosen up.

**Kristen Gregory:** She's been granted a scholarship to the most exclusive private school in Westchester, and Kristen is sure she can handle whatever challenges teachers and tests can throw her way. But she isn't prepared to be sucked into the world of popularity: lies, cheating, and deceit. Can she handle all the pressure, or will she be kicked out of OCD?

**Claire Lyons: **She recently moved from sunny Orlando to Westchester, New York, and is having some major trouble adjusting to the glitz and glamour. Then Claire moves into the Block guesthouse and realizes their daughter is a total bitch. Will she and Massie become friends, or is Claire doomed to the OUT list forever?


	2. The Girls

**BLOCK ESTATE  
****MASSIE'S ROOM  
****6:34 AM  
****SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

The first thing Massie did when she woke up everyday was turn off her iPhone alarm, check the time to make sure she absolutely _had_ to get up, and text Ahnna. But that was the old Massie. The new Massie got up early to plan her outfit, and she didn't have to tell the leader of the Ahnnabees everything she did or didn't do. It was liberating, but also a little scary. Flying solo was something Massie was not used to.

But all that was about to change. "Today is the day I become Alpha, Bean," Massie proclaimed to her little black pug. Bean blinked bemusedly at her owner, then curled up and fell fast asleep again in her white cashmere doggy bed.

She strolled over to her walk-in closet, pausing before entering and turning on the light. For as long as she could remember, she'd put on the boring old PMS uniform and hung out with the boring old Ahnnabees who always wore the same exact boring accesories, always planned by Ahnna. Massie hadn't had to do anything. Now she was in charge. Determinedly, she opened a drawer. The first thing she saw was the disgusting polyester-blend PMS uniform shirt. She dropped it on the floor, making a mental note to burn it as soon as she got home.

Massie had tons of clothes that looked like she had never worn them. Not because she took immaculate care of her things, but because she hadn't. She wore a uniform to PMS, and when her parents went to social events on the weekends, they hardly ever took their daughter. The few Ahnna-approved things she had that she wore out with her friends Massie actually hated.

Massie rifled through her clothing rod, eventually pulling out a pristine pair of True Religion jeans, which she instantly paired with a royal purple strapless Tory Burch tunic. As she was digging through her junk pile, searching for the strappy metallic gold Prada flat sandals that her mother had gotten her for her last birthday, she came across a thin, braided gold belt. She fastened it around her tunic. Then she found the shoes. Going through her jewelry box, she discovered a gold-and-diamond bangle set, which she immediatly put on.

Critically, Massie examined her hair. She loved the outfit, but she didn't know what her hair should look like. She settled for a straightened blowout, a classic that always looked good with her layered hair.

She petted Bean on the head, straightened her rhinestone collar, and headed downstairs for breakfast. "Hey, Mom!" she greeted Kendra.

"Hi, sweetie," her mother replied, straightening her wedding ring. She turned around, resting against the granite kitchen counter. "Are you sure you want to wear that? It's pouring outside."

"What?!" Massie leapt up from the mahogany chair, tipping it dangerously back. She threw open the blinds. Sure enough, the wind bent the trees sideways and the rain pounded steadily against the window. "Great omen," she muttered.

**RIVERA MANSION  
****ALICIA'S ROOM  
****7:03 AM  
****SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

Alicia kicked off her covers and jumped out of bed, eager to begin her career at OCD. In her haste, she tripped over her kitten, Marshmallow, and fell to the floor. "Damn it," she snapped. "Now I can't wear my pencil skirt." She had been waiting to try the Gucci ensemble on for a week, but had contained herself until the first day of school. And now she had a bruise the size of a pancake.

Ignoring Marshmallow's persistent mewing, Alicia brushed off her pajama bottoms: lime green boy shorts, and stood up, making her way to her bathroom. Inside was an Oriental vanity that came with a plush white stool. Alicia sat down and picked up her hairbrush. Raising it to her lips she said confidently, "Although Ms. Rivera experienced a terrible fall this morning, and has been rendered unable to wear her new Gucci pencil skirt, she will be back and ready to rock at OCD later today. Hopefully, the gigantic black-and-blue on her shin won't be too sickening to the eye." She put down the brush, winked at the mirror, and commented saucily, "This is Alicia Rivera, saying I Heart You." Sighing, she left the bathroom and walked over to her bureau.

She pulled open the middle drawer and yanked out a strapless 32BB bra and a Victoria's Secret thong. She posed suggestively for the full-length mirror in the corner of her room. She ran her fingers through her hair, flipped her head back, and clasped her hand to the side. She couldn't decide whether she looked cute and sexy or like she had to make an urgent trip to the bathroom.

She slipped on black leggings and a stretchy gray spaghetti-strap tank. Then she examined her shirts. What would make a good impression without screaming 'slut'? Alicia couldn't help having big boobs. She found a white tie-knot midriff top, which she fastened under her bust. From her rows of shoes, she selected high-heeled knee-high chestnut-leather cowgirl boots. They perfectly accentuated her curves and put everything together.

Scooping up Marshmallow, Alicia headed intothe bathroom, where she brushed her long, glossy, raven-colored hair until it shone. She put it up in a high side ponytail and stepped back to admire the effect. Dabbing on Maybelline cranberry lip stain seemed like a good touch, so she added a little bit, pouted, then smiled brightly. She shoved a ruby ring onto her pinkie, placed her hand on her hip, and grinned. Yes!

**MARVIL MANOR  
****FOYER  
****8:33 AM  
****SPETEMBER 1, 2012**

"I'm changing," announced Dylan's older sister, Jaime. "I look like a whale. I don't want to get harpooned out there."

"You do _not_," scowled Ryan, the sixteen-year-old. "_I_ look disgusting."

"Girls!" Merri-Lee Marvil raised a perfectly French-manicured hand. "Neither of you look fat. Let's all copy Dylan. _She _isn't complaining."

Dylan smiled. She knew she was the only non-weight-watcher in the Marvil family, not that any of them needed to count the calories. Dylan was the heaviest in the family, at a size 6, and that was fine for her. She knew she was amazing in anything she wore.

In her cream-colored Victoria Beckham minidress, black pumps from Saks, and a leather jacket, Dylan looked the way she always did: carefree, flagrant, _fun_. Gripping her sparkly purple Kate Spade tote bag with her matching clutch in one hand and an iced latte in the other, Dylan sauntered into the family limo, ready for her first year at OCD.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
****SECOND-FLOOR HALLWAY  
****8:51 AM  
****SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

A bewidered-looking dirty-blonde girl stood alone, clutching a blue glitter binder in one hand and a map/schedule in the other. Timidly, she tapped a dyed-red-haired girl on the shoulder. "Excuse me, do you know...?"

But the girl had already turned away. Then a brunette approached, looking friendly and open, even in four-inch killer heels and thick eyeliner. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, but no one seems to want to help me out. I'm a little..." Kristen trailed off.

"Lost?" The brunette smiled sympathetically. "No one seems to remember what their first days were like." She laughed. "What room are you looking for?"

"623," Kristen replied, relieved she'd found a friend.

"Oh, that's in the East Wing. Here, come with me."

"It's okay, you can just show me the way," Kristen said quickly. She didn't want to bother anyone.

"Don't be silly!" the girl protested. "By the way, my name's Allie. What's yours?"

"Kristen," she said as she tucked her schedule into a folder.

They continued in silence through the halls of OCD. Eventually, Allie pointed to a doorway and said, "That's your stop. I'd better get going; I'll be late." She waved and disappeared down the stairs.

Gently, Kristen turned the brass knob and pulled open the door. Halfway over the threshold, she froze, shocked. The decor looked like a showroom on a VIP tour. Like a Beverly Hills school in a movie. A fluffy blue-diamond-patterned rug lay on the cold tile. The walls were painted Navajo beige, and the desks were sky-blue. A cobalt cushion sat on each chair. The bookcase and the teacher's unoccupied desk were deep mahogany, like the door. "Excuse me," said a snotty voice.

Kristen looked up to see piercing amber eyes done up with pale strokes of lavender eyeliner. The girl was dressed in the height of designer chic. The pink Juicy Couture sweatsuit that had looked so great in the house now felt like a pile of rags. Her black bow headband seemed completely babyish compared to the girl's perfect side-parted blowout. "Sorry." She quickly moved aside, plopping down at the closet desk, which happened to be right next to the teacher's.

As the girl walked by, her gold Prada sandals left a dirt-colored tread mark on Kristen's Fuggs.

**THE LYONS' HONDA CIVIC  
****BACKSEAT  
****8:59  
****SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

"Get _off_!" Claire squirmed out of the way as her younger brother Todd spat chewed-up Skittles across the car.

"Todd!" Judi Lyons twisted around from the passenger seat. "Leave your sister alone!"

Laughing, Todd retreated back to his seat, rebuckling his seatbelt. He gagged rainbow-colored candy out the window before calming down.

Claire didn't even crack a smile at the family antics. "Mom, I'm going to be late." She was whining, but she couldn't help it. Why couldn't something go her way JUST ONCE? And she hadn't even started what was sure to be a miserable year at a brand-new private school filled with snobby bitches.

A sharp intake of breath came from the front seat as Jay Lyons narrowly avoided a tour bus headed to NYC. "Everybody shut_ up_!" he turned around and roared, swerving into the fast lane.

"Dad!" Claire hollered. "Keep your eyes on the road!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Claire rolled her eyes at her midnight-blue and white checkered Keds, cringing at the frayed ends of her black Old Navy sweatpants.

"We're here!" Todd announced gleefully.

Claire's head snapped up. _This_ was OCD? She might as well kill herself. "Why'd you have to send me here again?" she demanded of her parents, who were considerably more relaxed now that the car was stopped.

"Kendra and William recommended it very highly," Judi said patiently. "Just try it, okay, honey?"

Claire groaned.

"Now, who are we?" asked Judi.

"Lyons," Claire managed half a smile.

"And what do Lyons do?"

"Roar." Claire hopped out of the car, clutching her Aeropostale shoulder bag.

Underdressed, underprepared, and underappreciated, Claire Lyons entered OCD for the first time.


	3. Alpha Meets Beta

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SOCIAL STUDIES  
9:16 AM  
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

The LMNOPs always sat in the center of the classroom, so that was where Massie headed. She tunnel-visioned her way halfway there, but before she could arrive, a Spanish chic with a huge bust stole her seat. She flipped her long, midnight-colored hair over her shoulder and sat, placing her books on the desk. Massie took a deep breath. "Excuse me?" she almost yelled.

"Yes?" The girl sat there, looking calm, collected, and totally bored. She wasn't even looking up as Massie spoke to her, but bordering the first page of her notebook with a pink highlighter.

"I was about to sit there," Massie explained. Her excuse sounded totally lame, even to her. If she was Alpha, the girl would definitely listen, but right now, the only person who knew about Massie's hidden potential was herself.

"Too bad." She looked up at Massie and smirked. "There are, like, eight empty seats. Take your pick."

Inwardly, Massie groaned. She knew she'd look like a total loser if she sat down next to the girl, but people were filling up the other seats fast, and she needed to be somewhere in the middle of the room. "Fine." She dumped her books on the desk next to the girl. Although the last thing Massie wanted to do was speak to the girl who stole the Alpha seat, she needed a clique. And the beauty next to her was a good place to start. "Anyway, I'm Massie Block," she said as though nothing had happened, extending her manicured hand toward the girl.

"Alicia Rivera." She had a surpisingly tight grip for such a girly-girl.

There was an awkward silence until Massie said, "I like your shirt." She didn't know what else to bring up.

"Thanks. You too." Alicia smiled.

Then the teacher walked in, slamming the door with a thud. "Come to order, class!" the teacher barked as she plopped down in her swively chair. "I'm Mrs. Parker, your sixth grade Social Studies teacher at Octavian Country Day."

"Ahbvious much?" Alicia hissed to Massie, who grinned.

"Totally."

"The first thing we'll we doing is choosing a partner to get to know. I have a list. Chloe and Miley; Jessica and Vanessa; Layne and Kori; Brianna and Hailey; Kristen and Bianca; and Alicia and Massie."

Massie scooted her desk closer to Alicia's. "What did she say we're doing?"

"Not sure," Alicia replied, gesturing to the iPhone that she was hiding beneath her desk. "By the way, what's your number?"

"914-384-5485," Massie rattled off.

After Alicia entered it into her Contacts, she dropped the phone into her YSL beaded clutch and tapped the girl next to her on the shoulder. "Hey," she announced.

"Hi," replied the girl questioningly.

"Do you know what we're doing?" Alicia smiled politely.

The girl explained, then turned back to her partner. Alicia relayed the information to Massie, and the two girls began to work.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
AP MATH  
9:21 AM  
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

Dylan leaned over the Benchmark test her teacher had handed out at the beginning of class. 21, make that 22 minutes into it and she was still on the first page. Who had decided that Dylan was ready for Advanced Placement? Because her say should have mattered the most.

"Ten more minutes!" the annoyingly perky teacher called out. As though they couldn't see the time.

Dylan rolled her eyes and concentrated extra-hard, even though she didn't know why. She was set for life when she was older on inheritance money alone, job or no job. And math was one of those things you only needed to know if you wanted a job. Dylan gave up and put her pencil down.

"The bell's going to ring in three minutes!" the teacher cried. "Hand in your tests, please!"

Dylan walked up and smacked her test on the pile. When the teacher saw that most of the papers were blank, she made a move to stop Dylan, but the bell had rung, and she was already gone.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
GYM A  
9:38 AM  
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

Alicia scrolled through her mental list of avoiding-gym excuses. Not only did she hate exercising, she couldn't stand the snide remarks her classmates made about getting a sports bra. As if!

When she arrived, she found the entire class grouped around the gym teacher. Alicia fought her way to the front of the throng. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Attendance," another girl quietly replied without looking up.

"Kelli Patterson."

"Here."

"Alicia Rivera."

"Here."

"La-"

"But, um..."

"Yes?" The gym teacher stared down at Alicia through her glasses. "Speak up."

Alicia put on her best sick face. Trying to sound weak and upset, she moaned, "My stomach started really hurting a few minutes ago. I think it might be better if I sat out today."

The teacher stared at Alicia suspiciously for a few seconds before saying, "Alright, go sit down." She gestured toward two chairs by the far wall. Alicia smiled weakly and headed over, putting her books on the chair next to her and then sitting down herself. Score!

Alicia watched the rest of the class run laps and do drills. When there was about 10 minutes left, the gym teacher organized them into teams for Capture the Flag, then came to sit next to Alicia. When she realized where her teacher was headed, Alicia quickly moved her books and placed them under her seat. "Are you sure you don't want to participate?" the teacher inquired.

"Yeah, thanks." She faked a sad smile and turned away.

"If you're out any more days, you'll need a doctor's note," the teacher warned.

"Yes, I'm aware of that, thank you," Alicia replied coldly.

Then there was a squeal and a thud, then something skidding across the wooden floor of the gym.

The teacher raced over, her sneakers slapping as she ran. "Is everyone okay?" she asked the small circle of tightly clustered girls. They moved aside to reveal a still body on the floor. In her hand was a blue flag.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
AP ENGLISH  
10:00 AM  
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

Kristen waited paitently for Mr. Nendel to finish passing out _The Last of the Mohicans_, the first book they were reading in class. He dropped a hardcover in front of Kristen and continued weaving his way through the room back to his desk.

"Does everyone have a book?" he asked in his raspy voice.

The students nodded.

"So here's what we're going to do..."

Kristen had always been a good student, (she had to be if she was granted a scholarship to OCD) but for some reason she just couldn't deal with listening to this teacher. As he droned on and on, Kristen, for the first time in her life, found herself dozing off in class.

"Miss Gregory, what is your opinion?" was the next thing she heard.

"Wh-what?" Kristen brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and tightened her fishtail braid.

"Thank you for listening, Miss Gregory," Mr. Nendel commented dryly. "I was asking whether you agree with Duncan's desicion to trust Hawkeye, or if you think he should continue to search for Magua." The teacher's eyes rested firmly on hers, and Kristen knew he wouldn't take 'I don't know' for an answer.

Kristen bit her lip. This was one of the few course books she hadn't chosen to preview over the summer, and now she was paying for it. She fidgeted with a cuticle, took a deep breath, and said randomly, "I... agree."

"Why?"

"Uh..." And then the bell rang. The best noise Kristen had ever heard. She mumbled something incoherent and fled.

'That was close,' she thought as she made her way toward the cafe. That's when she realized she was going the wrong way.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
10:46 AM  
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

'Why is lunch so early?' Claire wondered as she entered the cafe, clutching a $5 bill. 'I'm not even hungry... O-mi-_god_.'

Claire gasped as she noticed her surroundings, her eyes wide. A day spa took up an entire corner, filled with everything you could possibly imagine, from massage chairs to racks of nail polish to Jacuzzis to petite Viatnamese women, rapidly greeting students. In another corner were small Starbucks, Pinkberry, and Subway kiosks. The other side of the cafe was solid floor-to-ceiling windows. In front of them snaked a lunch line. Inside there were salads, yogurts, juice, iced tea, burgers, pizza, and any other food Claire could possibly want, including an entire area devoted to desserts. This was a dream come true. And hopefully, her tuition paid for it all.

"Could you move?" giggled a group of girls as they passed her, throwing their curls back and laughing.

Claire tried to laugh too, but failed miserably. Instead, she got on the line to the Subway stand and purchased a tossed salad with oil-&-vinegar dressing.

As she turned around, she realized her biggest problem. Everyone was grouped according to social status: losers, dorks, sporty types, cheerleaders, and totally popular. And Claire had no idea where to sit. Normally, she'd just go join whoever looked fun. But even the total geeks looked too posh to enjoy anything. Everyone was using quiet, indoor voices, and a secret would actually have to be whispered.

Then she noticed a girl with frizzy brown hair and a neon green streak that matched her eyes. She was laughing so hard at something a strawberry-blonde girl was saying that she was snorting milk out of her nose. Initially, this would have struck Claire as gross, and she would have assesed her other options. But right now her only other choice was to eat on a toilet seat, which was even worse. Besides, those girls looked like they were having fun, and Claire needed some excitement in her life right about now.

She went over and joined them, shyly asking, "Can I sit here?"

"No," scoffed the third girl, a tall redhead. "You're not like _us_."

'Like _them_?' Claire wondered. 'No offense, but do they actually think they're cool?' But instead of saying that, she just apoligized, "Sorry," and backed away.

"Oh, we were just kidding!" called the brunette. "Of course you can sit here."

Claire smiled and sat down. These were her first real Westchester friends.


	4. Keep Your Friends Close

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
FRENCH  
2:31 PM  
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

Massie pulled out a chair and sat down, proud that she had found her way around OCD so fast. She was sure this was the mark of an Alpha. As she searched for a notebook and folder that she hadn't already used, she heard a chair scrape and the thud of someone sitting down. She glanced up. "Hey, Leesh!"

"Hey."

Massie had already decided that Alicia would a perfect Beta. _Her_ Beta. "I didn't know you took French."

"My mom wanted me to take Spanish, but she can just teach me herself, so what's the point?"

Massie nodded assent and was pulling out a silver tube of Vanilla Bliss Glossip Girl, slowly running it over her chapped lips, when it hit her. This could be her trademark! Glossip Girl! Other girls would wish they could buy it, but it would be hers. Not only becuase it was uber-expensive to purchase a subscription, but also because they simply wouldn't dare.

The sharp click-clack of stilletos interrupted her reverie.

"Bonjour," breathed a sexy French woman with cat-like eyes and long, long auburn hair.

"Bonjour, Madame Ralston," the class responded on cue.

"How has your first day been?" Madame asked in a thick French accent.

"Bon, je vous remercie," everyone responded. It had been on the first page of their textbook, and last year they had been told to study their language books as soon as they got this year's.

Alicia used her curtain of hair to hide her face as she texted someone. Then Massie's phone blared, 'I'M WIDE AWAKE!'

"Ehmagawd!" Blushing fiercely, Massie grabbed her phone to silence it. "Je suis vraiment désolé." After apoligizing, Massie slid the switch to Vibrate and sank down in her seat before remembering this was not what an Alpha would do. She tried and tried to think of something witty and clever to say, but the oppurtunity passed, and Madame Ralston was back to teaching.

Had Alicia done it on purpose?

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
LOBBY  
2:44 PM  
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

Alicia waited with Massie, her arms folded and her head tilted sideways, searching for her limo. "My driver's here," offered Massie. "You want a ride?"

'Grace under pressure,' she told herself. 'Innocent until proven guilty.' Alicia would never have gotten her in trouble on purpose.

"Sure." Alicia removed her clutch from the smallest compartment of her black-and-white flowered Vera Bradley backpack before swinging it over her shoulder. Quickly, she texted her father, Len, to let him know she was going home with Massie. Then she called her driver. "¿Dónde estás?" she demanded bossily.

"Estoy en la tienda de remolque con una rueda pinchada," Alex replied. "Estaba a punto de llamarte."

Alicia rolled her heavily-done-up eyes at Massie and said, "Está bien, me voy a casa con mi amiga."

"¿Sabe tu padre?"

"Si." Alicia put her phone away and left OCD with Massie.

They climbed into the back of Massie's Range Rover. Alicia purposefully settled in before she said, "They don't let you sit in the front?"

"No, of course they do! But I thought it, um, would be nice of me to share the back with you."

"Oh." They lapsed into silence, and rode most of the way to Massie's house without speaking.

Massie wasn't sure she liked where this was going.

**BLOCK GUESTHOUSE  
FAMILY ROOM  
2:58 PM  
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

"How was your first day of school, honey?" Judi asked her daugher, who was curled up against the arm of the couch, sucking down Gummi Worms.

"Fine."

"Did you... make any friends? Did you like your classes? Did you...?"

"Omigod, Mom! Can anyone have just a few minutes alone in this place?" Claire stormed upstairs and into her room. She locked the door before collapsing on her bed. She wasn't sure why her mother's comments bothered her so much. But she did know that the one person she'd wanted most to impress, Massie Block, hadn't said one word to her today. She'd been too busy giggling with a girl from Spain. Even when Claire had tried to walk next to her, Massie had looked away and walked faster.

A stunned Judi Lyons sat alone on the couch. "What happened to her?" she asked her husband when he walked in.

"What did she do?" he asked comfortingly.

"She just... blew me off! That's never happened before. You know we've been trying to raise our kids in a very family-friendly environment."

"Look, she's a pre-teen. Maybe she just needs a few minutes to be by herself." Jay sat down and stroked his wife's hair. "Don't worry, we still have Todd."

"Oh God. Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Jay laughed and swatted his wife's arm. "Judi!"

"Sorry. Todd, can you come here please!"

"What's up, Mom?" He was holding a remote, controlling a racecar that was currently running over Judi's feet.

She snatched the controller and said, "Sit down, kiddo."

He obliged, then reached for his car.

"Hold on. Do you know what's wrong with Claire?"

"No. Are you ever going to ask me how _my _day was? And for the record, it sucked."

"Why?" Judi went into instant parental freak-out mode. "What happened?"

"I didn't know anyone, and the only person who talked to me was this girl named Samantha who no one can stand because she doesn't shut up."

Judi let out a sigh of relief. "I hope that's the worst that ever happens to you."

**MARVIL MANOR  
DYLAN'S ROOM  
4:32 PM  
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

Dylan was searching her closet for an outfit to wear the next day when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" Merri-Lee Marvil entered the room. "Hey, Mom."

Her mother didn't waste any time. "They want the Daily Grind to do a fundraiser for OCD scholarships, and they want models. So I was figuring it would be good sister-bonding time."

"You want me to model with Ryan and Jaime, you mean? Sorry, Mom. I'm not gonna stand there and listen to them complain that they're fat when I'm four sizes bigger than them." Dylan busied herself in her closet so her mom wouldn't see her tears. She had no problem with being a size 6, but when her size 2 sisters insisted that they were "so heavy", Dylan's self-esteem took a major hit.

"Oh, honey." Merri-Lee Marvil rubbed her daughter's back. "You're not fat."

"That's the problem!" Dylan shouted. "Because technically when they're saying they're fat that implies that I'm _really _fat."

"Oh." Then a smile blossomed on Merri-Lee's face. "Then how about this? The fundraiser is in three weeks. If you can make two good friends and talk them into modeling with you, then Ryan and Jaime won't have to. I don't think they really want to, anyway."

"Oh, so now you're challenging me to make friends?" Dylan stood up angrily. Merri-Lee looked shocked, but her daughter broke into a huge smile. "It's on."

**OCD  
SOCCER FIELD  
6:00 PM  
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012**

Soccer was what Kristen lived for. It got her blood pumping, her heart beating, and the best part was that she knew most of the girls on the OCD soccer team from playing in other places.

"Pass!" Kristen waved her arms wildly and jumped, trying to make herself seen. Her best soccer friend, Belle, kicked a perfect leftie straight toward her, and Kristen slammed it in.

"Goal!" hollered the fans in the bleachers, doing the wave as though they had been perfecting it for years.

"Yes!" Belle slapped Kristen a high-five as the buzzer rang out. "Another game won."


	5. Coming Together

**BLOCK ESTATE  
MASTER BEDROOM  
8:28 AM  
SEPTEMBER 2, 2012**

"Mom, I feel terrible," Massie moaned.

"Bad sushi?" Kendra asked sympathetically.

Massie nodded, coughing. Her head was pounding.

"Maybe you should go back to sleep," Kendra suggested.

Massie tucked an oily lock of hair behind her ear and said, "Maybe I should take a hot shower instead." Massie didn't like to sleep, sick or not. There were so many things to do! You shouldn't waste half your morning sleeping.

"If it'll make you feel better." She checked her iPhone 5. "Wait, Massie, you're not going to have time!"

"Oh, Mom, I can't go to school like this. I'm sick!" She leaned against the bedframe.

"Are you sure?" Kendra asked critically. Massie nodded. "I'll take your temperature." She inserted the thermometer into Massie's mouth and held it there, waiting for it to beep. When it did, Kendra checked the screen. "102.7. Guess you're not going anywhere today."

Massie smiled weakly and went back to her room, picking up her phone from her nightstand.

**MASSIEKUR: not going 2 skl 2day  
HOLAGURRL: what happened?  
MASSIEKUR: ****102.7  
HOLAGURRL: alright, hope u feel better! :(**

Massie put down her phone and picked up Lucky magazine. Gently, she peeled off a YES sticker with her Essie-manicured fingernails and stuck it on a package of YSL lip markers. She smiled, put the magazine down, and drifted off to sleep. She really was sick.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SOCIAL STUDIES  
9:01 AM  
SEPTEMBER 2, 2012**

Alicia walked into room 623 and seated herself in the same seat as yesterday: smack in the middle of the classroom. Why did Massie have to be sick? Alicia knew she'd look like a loser if she sat alone, but she'd also look like a loser if she sat with the losers. She decided to be on the lookout for anyone who had PP (Popular Potential). She almost sang with relief as a dirty-blonde girl walked in, wearing metallic-gold short-shorts and a black soccer jersey with black velvet flats. Not an amazing outfit, but it would do. Alicia waved the girl over and patted the desk next to her, oblivious to the fact that Massie would hate the girl for stealing her seat.

"What's your name?" Alicia asked.

"Kristen." She couldn't help gloating as she added, "I'm the captain of the OCD soccer team."

"Oh, that's where I've seen you. You have a group picture on the website."

Kristen nodded. "Are you a model?" she blurted out.

"No." Alicia flipped her hair back and fixed Kristen with a piercing stare. "I'm an Alicia."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
ART  
9:42 AM  
SEPTEMBER 2, 2012**

Kristen stood in the back of the room, painting a still life of a tomato. At his desk, the teacher flipped through papers, but here in the back, she couldn't hear a thing. Everything was silent except for the occasional chirping of a bird outside. The quiet was interrupted by the sharp DING! of an oven timer.

"Brushes down!" ordered the art teacher. He was tall and thin, wearing a loose white t-shirt and paint-splattered jeans. Kristen dropped her brush in the water bowl she was sharing with the girl next to her. Bright red paint flew up and hit her thigh. "Ehmagawd!" she shrieked. "Yuck!"

"Do you have something you would like to share with the class, Miss Gregory?" The teacher adjusted his glasses.

Kristen panicked. She had to get off the sticky mess before it became permanent. Awkwardly holding her books in front of her, she edged her way to the front of the classroom. "May I have the bathroom pass, please?"

"Female problems, Miss Gregory?" he asked.

"Sure," she muttered wildly. Grabbing the pass, she rushed down the hall into the bathroom. Laying her books on a cushioned bench by the door, Kristen ran to the sink. She turned on the faucet and pumped soap into her hand, then rubbed the pink lather onto her leg. "Shit," she cursed when it didn't take the paint off. She knew she needed to slow down and take a deep breath, but she didn't have time. She smoothed more and more soap onto her skin. Now it was dripping down her leg onto her brand-new Forever 21 flats. "Fuck this." Then the bell rang.

Kristen ran all the way down the hall with her books, hoping to beat the masses to the nurse's office. She left the pass in the bathroom, hoping someone would be kind enough to return it to Mr. Devon for her. "Nurse Adele," Kristen panted as she shut the door behind her.

"Calm down, sweetheart," the nurse said.

She couldn't. "I spilled paint on my leg in art class and it's not coming off. Can you help?"

"I don't have anything that will remove paint, but I can give you some long pants from the Lost&Found."

Kristen smiled. "That would be fantastic."

Nurse Adele wheeled the rack of last-season's clothes into the middle of the room. "Take your pick, hon."

Kristen stared wonderingly at the expensive clothing, jackets, and accesories that the wealthy students just left behind. She selected a pair of hot pink Gucci skinny jeans that matched the number on the back of her sports shirt and looked around for a changing room, sure the nurse would have one.

"Right that way, honey," the nurse said, pointing toward a white curtain.

Kristen thanked her and went to change. She was feeling better already.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:01 AM  
SEPTEMBER 2, 2012**

Dylan walked into the cafe, making a beeline for the Pinkberry kiosk. She was on a diet, and yogurt was the perfect thing. After she purchased it, she looked around for a place to sit. Yesterday, she had spent more than half of lunch sitting by herself, pretending to be texting someone important, since everyone knew she was Merri-Lee's daughter. But today, Dylan's goal was to make two model-worthy friends.

She scanned the cafe for someone who looked beautiful yet friendly, but she didn't see anyone, so she pulled out her phone and went through the same ritual as the day before. Then a girl with coffee-colored skin and huge chocolatey eyes tapped her on the shoulder. "I _said_, is anyone sitting here? Are you deaf?"

Flustered, Dylan glanced up. "No, no one's sitting there." Then she did a double take. This girl was perfect model material. She was absolutely stunning, with an impeccable taste in clothes, jewelry, makeup, and accesories, judging from her appearance alone. She was wearing Seven jeans and a black custom-fit v-neck Ralph Lauren t-shirt over which hung a perfectly positioned multi-colored Burberry scarf. She was carrying an indigo Louis Vuitton handbag that brought out the color in her scarf and had on polished black Uggs. A silver ring adorned her pinkie. "I love your outfit!"

"Thanks." The girl examined Dylan, hopefully notcing her black Ella Moss bubble skirt, her matching rhinestone flip-flops, and her eye-catching hot pink lace cami. A thick black plastic headband was the perfect ornament. And coincidence of coincidences, she was also wearing a metallic gray ring on her right little finger. "Heart yours too."

Dylan smiled appreciation. "What's your name?"

"Alicia."

"Cool. I'm Dylan. Nice to meet you." The two girls smiled at each other and something just clicked, like two parts of a seatbelt that fit together. "You want to model for me?"

"Ew!" Alicia grabbed her purse and jumped up. "That's revolting!"

"Ehmagawd, I didn't mean it like that!" Dylan cringed and crinkled her eyebrows. "My mom's Merri-Lee Marvil, and she's managing an OCD fundraiser for scholarship kids and there's gonna be a fashion show. She needs three models."

"Don't you have sisters?" Alicia asked suspiciouly, not quite letting her butt touch the chair in case she had to run.

"Yeah, but... they don't like to model," she improvised.

"Oh. Well, count me in!" They high-fived. "How many models do you need, by the way?"

"One more."

"There's this girl in my homeroom, Massie Block. She's gorgeous."

"Well, I'd have to meet her, but it's a definite possibility." Dylan grinned, her bleached-white teeth sparkling in the light. "Do you think she'd want to?"

"She's out sick today, but I can text her," Alicia said. She pulled out her phone.

"Perfect!"

**HOLAGURRL: i met this girl Dylan. her mom's Merri-Lee Marvil and she's looking 4 models for a fundraiser fashion show. what do u think?  
MASSIEKUR: :D that sounds really kool. i'd luv 2!  
HOLAGURRL: i'll tell her.**

"She's in."

**THE LYONS' HONDA CIVIC  
BACKSEAT  
3:02 PM  
SEPTEMBER 2, 2012**

"When do I get to sit in the front seat?" Claire demanded.

"When you're 12," Judi replied. "And you know that."

"Everyone I know sits in the front seat," she whimpered. She began making a mental list: her Orlando friends, Layne, definitely Massie...

"They can let their kids do what they want. My parenting choices are not always the same as everyone else's," Judi told her daughter.

"If you don't trust Kendra Block's "parenting choices", then why did you send me to OCD? Wasn't it because _she _recommended it?" Claire was on the verge of tears. Why was she so emotional lately?

"Well, yes, but I agreed with her. The decision to let Massie sit in the front is something I don't agree with." Judi turned the radio up. "End of discussion."

"Damn you," Claire muttered under her breath.

"What was that?!"

"Nothing, Mom. Don't be such a freak. God."

"Where did you get this language from?" Judi scowled. "You're becoming Massie. Not that I don't love her, but she does have a little bit of an attitude."

"A little bit?" repeated Claire. "A _little _bit."


	6. Alpha's Approval

**MARVIL MANOR  
MASTER BEDROOM  
4:20 PM  
SEPTEMBER 2, 2012**

"Mom!" Dylan bounced on the balls of her feet. "Guess what?"

"What?" Merri-Lee smiled fondly at her daughter.

"I found my models!"

"You did?"

"I think so. There's one girl I know for sure: Alicia Rivera. And her friend Massie might do it too!"

"Massie, as in Block? Kendra and William's daughter?" Merri-Lee stopped scrolling through her inbox and looked up at Dylan.

"Yeah, sure, I don't know. Why?" For a second mother and daughter just stared at each other.

"Oh, because everyone knows the Blocks. In fact, they're hosting the fundraiser!"

"Really?"

"Would I lie?"

"What's this about modeling?" asked Ryan as she walked past the master bedroom.

"Nothing." Dylan shrugged. "Only that Massie, Alicia, and I are gonna get discovered!"

"Whatevs." Ryan rolled her eyes. "Mom, I'm inviting Kelsey to sleep over tonight. Her parents are going away."

"That's fine, Ryan," Merri-Lee replied. Then she reached down and swooped Dylan up in a hug. "You girls are going to have so. much. fun!"

**RIVERA MANSION  
ALICIA'S ROOM  
6:59 AM  
SEPTEMBER 3, 2012  
**

Alicia rolled lazily out of bed. It was one of those mornings where the covers wrapped perfectly around her body, and were _so _soft and so, _so _cozy_. _She hated getting up, so instead of wasting energy trying to find the perfect outfit, she snapped her fingers to turn on the light and reached for her phone.

**HOLAGURRL: R u feeling better?  
MASSIEKUR: The fever's down, so i'm going 2 go 2 skl 2day.  
HOLAGURRL: That's gr8! U can meet Dylan! And there's this other girl: Kristen Gregory. She's kind of a GG, but really nice.  
MASSIEKUR:** **Gr8, c u there!  
HOLAGURRL: :D**

Of course, Alicia could never be as excited as her friend. Because Massie Block had her clique. Now they just had to meet each other.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SOCIAL STUDIES  
8:58 AM  
SEPTEMBER 3, 2012**

When Massie walked into homeroom, Alicia was already sitting there, waiting for her. Cradling her books in one arm and holding onto a spicy orange Tory Burch clutch with the other, she weaved her way around desks until she arrived at the one next to Alicia's.

"Hey, girlie," Alicia greeted her with smile.

"Hey." Massie returned the grin. "So she's in our homeroom? The Kirstin girl?"

"Her name's _Kristen_," Alicia exxagerated. "And yes. In fact, there she is!"

The first thing Massie noticed about "_Kristen_" was that she was the girl whose boots she had stomped on two days ago. Hopefully, there were no hard feelings. She needed a sporty chic in her clique and if she wanted Kristen to join, the girl actually had to _like _Massie.

"Hi. Kristen?" Massie said with a warm smile. "I'm Massie Block." She tilted her head, tapping her Essie nails on the desk. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"I'm the OCD soccer team captain," Kristen explained, her aqua-colored eyes glittering with pride. "We have a, um, picture on the school website."

"That's cool," Massie said encouragingly. "Why don't you sit down?"

"Because you stole my spot." This was the only thing all day that Kristen had actually sounded adamant about.

"I did _nawt_ steal your spot. I was sitting here the first day of school, when you sat over there." Massie pointed at the outcast desk in the far corner of the room, which was now inhabited by a freak with an afro of poufy red hair. "Okay, well I guess you can't sit _there_, but..."

"How about _you _move?" demanded Kristen. "Since that was _my _seat!"

"It was nawt!" Massie was almost yelling now. "I sat here first!" She turned to look at her NBF. "Alicia?"

"Well, Massie did sit here first. But I... didinviteKristentotakethatse atyesterday," she said in one breath.

"Why?"

"What, you think I'm contaminating your popular girl seats?" Kristen was sick of the girl being so goddamn condescending. And Alicia was so nice. "Fine, I'll leave!"

Massie felt a rush of pride. This girl thought she was popular! But then she felt sad, not only because her clique was falling apart but because she had been mean to Kristen. Even though she didn't think she had been so nasty, Kristen was upset, so she must have done something. But a true Alpha would never let those feelings show. "You think I care?"

"No," replied Kristen honestly, her voice hoarse with the tears she was trying to hold back.

"Go on and cry. It's good for you," Massie urged snottily.

Kristen ran to the other side of the classroom, sitting behind an exremely tall girl even though it meant she couldn't see the board, just so she could hide from Massie.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
BATHROOM  
9:31 AM  
SEPTEMBER 3, 2012**

As soon as Kristen entered the bathroom, she sank down on the mahogany bench by the door and cried. She didn't bother locking herself in a stall, which also had benches, or running cold water on her face to make herself feel better. She let the tears stream down her face for five minutes straight before becoming attuned again to the outside world.

"Are you okay?" asked a girl who was walking in.

"Would you believe me if I said yes?" warbled Kristen, half-smiling.

"No." A fiery redhead was towering above her, dressed in skinny white Levis and and an sleeveless cerulean blouse from Saks.

"Not really."

The redhead sat down next to Kristen, awkwardly patting her on the shoulder. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"It was."

"What happened?"

"There's this girl named Massie Block and she was yelling at me for stealing her seat and the whole class was staring and I felt like such a baby. Even when she totally lost her temper she sounded so mature and I sounded like an idiot. I know I did." She reached for a tissue and blew her nose.

"That's tough. But you want to hear something I've noticed?"

Kristen raised her eyebrows skeptically.

"First of all, if this Massie chic was as rude as you're saying she-"

"She was!"

"I'm not saying she wasn't." Once again Kristen felt like an immature baby. "But she isn't worth your time. Also, lots less people than you think were staring at you. It just feels like that."

"But I saw them!" But this time Kristen let herself laugh.

"That's the last thing." The girl smiled kindly. "Be able to laugh at yourself. It's a real lifesaver."

This time she smiled. "My name's Kristen. And I guess I owe you a big thank you. So thanks." They smiled at each other.

"Anytime. By the way, I'm Dylan."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
FIRST-FLOOR HALLWAY  
9:40 AM  
SEPTEMBER 3, 2012  
**

Dylan's stomach churned as she power-walked toward the Main Office to get a late pass. She needed a second to take in what she'd heard. Alicia had told her that Massie was kind, pretty, funny, and smart. Not a total bitch.

And she'd already asked her to be a model. And from either perspective, she didn't seem like the kind of person to back out.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
10:55 AM  
SEPTEMBER 3, 2012**

DYLAN'S POV

Cautiously, Dylan approached the table when Massie and Alicia were gossiping. The first thing she noticed was that Massie did seem like the kind of girl who would do anything for popularity.

As she pulled out a chair, Massie flipped her caramel-highlighted brown hair over her shoulder and laughed, "No she _didn't_!"

"Yes she _did_!" Alicia giggled back. "Hey, Dyl!"

"Hi." Neither of them noticed she sounded miserable.

"Massie, this is Dylan Marvil. Dylan, Massie Block."

Massie half-waved before going back to her conversation. Dylan sat staring at the duo, feeling annoyingly left out. She was beginning to get what Kristen was saying. Massie wasn't mean exactly, more exclusive. As much as Dylan tried to block it out, she was getting the feeling that Massie Block would be a perfect Alpha.

Then she noticed a shy, dorky, straight white-blonde-haired girl passing their table. The one thing Dylan had never been able to stand was seeming alone among others, especially in front of wannabes. So she leaned in and faked being a part of the conversation.

CLAIRE'S POV

She passed Table 20, where three girls were fooling around, laughing and joking and reglossing again and again. One of them was Massie. Her mother had told her that Kendra had talked to Massie, but apparently nothing had changed. Then, "Claire, girlie!"

Automatically, she pretended she hadn't been looking at Massie's little clique, then snapped her head around to face them. She knew she wasn't very impressive, but it was the best she could do on a sucky day. "I feel bad," came a voice, which sounded like it was coming from the redhead. "Maybe we could... pull up a chair?"

On cue, the clique burst into laughter. Claire, on the other hand, burst into tears.


	7. A-List Opportunities

**BLOCK GUESTHOUSE  
DINING ROOM  
8:01 AM  
SEPTEMBER 4, 2012**

Judi reached across the oval high-finish oak dining room table for the fruit platter that she and Claire had prepared the night before. "Honey, Kendra offered up their limo driver to take you to school at 8:30, and I told her that would be fine."

"That's funny, since you're not the one in the limo," Claire snapped.

"Now, sweetie, don't be like this," Judi pleaded. "Besides, what's wrong with riding in a limo? A once-in-a-liftetime opportunity!"

She sighed and pushed her chair back. She felt so out-of-place in Westchester. Everything was so marble and granite and polished floors and silk and satin and velvet and Ralph Lauren and Marc Jacobs and Versace. None of which she could afford.

"Just try it," said Judi. "And if you don't like it, you can take the bus."

"What's wrong with the bus?"

"Just try it," Judi said firmly, getting up to wash the breakfast dishes, wondering what had happened to her sunny blonde Orlando sweetheart.

Claire left the dining room. It was only the fourth day of school, and she was sick and tired of trying to look good for Massie and still being constantly ignored. She locked herself in the bathroom and sat down on the closed toilet seat, wondering why her father could just uproot their entire life in a matter of days for a _job_. Why was his job more important than family? And if her father had this brand-new, amazing job, why didn't they have enough money to live in a real house? And how did they have enough money to send Claire to OCD?

"Ten minutes, Claire!" Judi called from the kitchen.

"I _know_!" She got up and opened the door, scooping up her bag. She had thought Aeropostale was cool when she bought it, but after seeing all the big-name designers these girls favored, she felt ready to fling her bag out the window. Why were those girls born with this killer fashion sense, while Claire was just trying to survive a day in the proximity of it? She knew why. They were Westchesterites through and through, and Claire was more interested in having the time of her life in a beautiful city with the sun shining down than shopping for hours in a closed-in brick building. Not that any mall in "_Westchester_" would be built with something as passe as brick.

"_Now_, Claire!"

"I _KNOW_!" She stormed across the house, threw open the front door, and stomped down the pathway to where it met the Block's driveway. She already knew she didn't have enough energy to deal with Massie. It was only after they'd greeted each other with silence and gotten into the limo that Claire realized she'd forgotten to brush her hair. It was one thing to have her hair down, flat, and ugly. But it was another to have hair that looked like a rat's nest. "Um, Mass," she ventured.

"The name's Massie." She continued texting.

"Yeah, Massie, could I borrow a brush please?"

Massie pulled it out of her bag and was just about to hand it over before she looked up and, laughing, said, "First..." She snapped a picture, and in one fluid motion had it posted in the Student Section of the school website, where everyone looked for the latest gossip.

**MASSIE BLOCK SAYS: look at our new Orlando girl!  
ALICIA RIVERA SAYS: lol, guess she's nawt as kool as she thinks!  
JENNA MCMAHON SAYS: what, they didn't have hairbrushes in Florida?**

The one thing Massie hadn't thought about before she posted was how she could have gotten the picture. So far, no one knew the Florida geek was staying in her guesthouse, and she was determined to keep it that way. Crossing her fingers, she prayed that nobody would ask. But she had the next part of her plan thought out.

When they arrived at OCD, Massie hopped out. As she did, she ordered, "Issac, circle once before you drop Kuh-laire off. I don't want anyone to know she belongs to me." Then she slammed the door and power-walked to catch up with the ginger who had been sitting at her lunch table.

Isaac looked back at Claire, even though he was supposed to obey anything a Block family member said without question. "Yes, Miss Block," he said, even though she was way too far away to hear.

Claire's insides jumbled as Isaac started the Range Rover up again. She knew Massie hated her, but she didn't know it was this bad. Why was she such a dork? A loser? A loser beyond even Massie's repair. An LBR.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SOCIAL STUDIES  
9:03 AM  
SEPTEMBER 4, 2012**

Kristen had woken up late. She hadn't been able to fall asleep last night, and it didn't help that her dad's late return from bowling woke her up at 2:30 in the morning. It had taken her an hour to get back to sleep. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around the classroom. Everyone was staring back at her, including the teacher. "Tar_dy_!" Mrs. Parker finished off with a flourish, scribbling a final mark into her book with a red pen.

She didn't bother arguing. Instead, she sat down in the only empty seat, the one on the other side of Massie Block. This was a great way to start her day. Not.

Massie turned up the corner of her mouth, giving Kristen a small smile. Now that she had her seat back, all was well. It was Massie Block's way, or the highway.

Kristen had never liked people like that. But Massie was different. She seemed so in-control, with such Alphaness, that she never even considered arguing with her. It was a given that Massie was in charge. For some reason, it just seemed logical that Massie would have that power.

And Kristen would be a perfect Delta to Massie's Alpha. Maybe even to Alicia's Beta. She just didn't know it yet.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
FASHION DESIGN  
9:49 AM  
SEPTEMBER 4, 2012**

Massie sat in her favorite class at OCD, fashion design. She watched with rapt attention as the teacher went through various designers, such as Vera Bradley and Coco Chanel, and discussed unique patterns. "Tomorrow, we are each going to design our own signature fabric, which we will use as a basis for the materials we create throughout the year."

Massie almost cheered. This could make her famous!

Quickly, she checked the school website. Using the end of her fingernail, she tapped on the Student Section. The web page quickly booted up. Massie scrolled over to her picture. Her heart dropped.

**DYLAN MARVIL SAYS: ****isn't that the girl who walked past our lunch table yesterday? how do u know her?  
**

Massie clicked on the PM icon.

**TO: DYLAN MARVIL  
FROM: MASSIE BLOCK**

_Listen, idk u that well, but ur going 2 have 2 promise not 2 tell. Kuh-laire's dad is my dad's friend from business skl and they're staying in our guesthouse while they look 4 a place 2 live. But u can't tell NE1!_

She pressed send and relaxed as a message beeped back through.

**FROM: DYLAN MARVIL  
TO: MASSIE BLOCK**

_What's wrong w/ being kind 2 sum1 and letting them stay w/ u? If u don't want me 2 say nething, I won't, but I think it's nice that ur letting a family in need use ur guesthouse. :)_

Smiling, she tucked her phone away and looked up at the teacher. "What do you think about this, Massie?" she asked.

"For what?" Massie kept an innocent smile plastered across her face, not letting it falter for a second. That was a sure sign of guilt.

"For your independent fabric. Were you listening to a word I said?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said. "But aren't we going to pick our own fabrics?"

"This is just for ideas," Miss Reynolds replied through clenched teeth.

"Oh, I like it," Massie said quickly, her face tomato-red.

The class laughed. Massie knew the trick was to join in. It would turn it from laughing _at _her to laughing _with_ her. So she did.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
FIRST-FLOOR HALLWAY  
10:56 AM  
SEPTEMBER 4, 2012**

Dylan rushed toward the cafe. She was determined to beat Alicia there so she could talk to Massie alone. Actually, what she really wanted was to be able to command both Massie's and Alicia's attention at once, so she could talk to them about the fashion show. But she wasn't the Alpha.

She sat down next to Massie with her Caesar Salad. She dumped a packet of croutons in, stirred them around with her fork, and lifted a delicious bite to her mouth. After she'd satisfied her hunger, she said, "Hey, Mass."

"Hey." She looked perfectly friendly.

Then Alicia came over. "Hey, chicas!"

"Hi!" both girls replied.

Before they could get into a conversation, Dylan spoke over them. "We need to talk about the fashion show!" she said-shrieked. "There's a form for each of you to fill out." She slid two sheets of paper across the table. The top half was a release form, basically asking for their permission to have their pictures and videos of them on live TV. The bottom half said:

**OUTFIT**

**Dress Size: _  
Designer Preference: _  
Color Preference: _  
Fabric Preference: _  
Design Preference: _****  
Skirt Type Preference: _  
Other:_  
****Shoe Size: _  
Designer Preference: _  
Color Preference: _  
Heel (Inches): _  
Other: _  
****Accesory (List Type- Hair, Bag, Jewelry, etc.): _  
****Color Preference: _  
_If Hair:  
_Hair Color: _  
Hair Type: _  
Hair Length: _  
Accesory Type (Headband, Scrunchie, Hat, etc.): _  
_If Bag:  
_Designer Preference: _  
Color Preference: _  
Fabric Preference: _  
Design Preference: _  
Bag Type (Clutch, Purse, etc.): _  
_If Jewelry:  
_Skin Tone: _  
Designer Preference: _  
Color Preference: _  
Metal Preference: ___  
Jewelry Type (Necklace, Ring, Bracelet, etc.): _  
_Polish:  
_Designer Preference: _  
Color Preference: _  
Standout Nail (Yes, No)  
_If Yes:  
_Designer Preference: _  
Color Preference: _  
Other (Sparkle, Rhinestones, etc.): _  
_Makeup:_  
Designer Preference: _  
Color Preference: _  
Makeup Type (Eyeshadow, Lipstick, Eyeliner, etc.):_  
**

**RUNWAY  
**

_**Lights:  
**_**(Dim, Medium, Bright)  
Graduate (Yes, No)  
_If Yes:  
_From what to what?:_  
_Music:_  
Artist/Band: _  
Song: _  
Volume: (Low, Medium, Loud, Blaring)  
Graduate (Yes, No)  
_If Yes:  
_From what to what?: _**

**_OTHER:_**

After they were filled out, Dylan took forms back and tucked them into a manila folder. "Thanks, guys," Dylan said, trying to sound casual and dismissive. She flashed them a tight, bored smile and went back to texting. "By the way, Leesh, what's your number?"

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:29 AM  
SEPTEMBER 4, 2012**

Not that she'd ever admit it to anyone, but Alicia was totally psyched to participate in the OCD fashion show. This would up their social standing so much they'd actually have a chance to overthrow Skye Hamilton, the current seventh grade Alpha. If they became uber-popular right now, it wouldn't matter, because they were in sixth grade. But if they rocked that show and the seventh graders were more interested in them than Skye, then watch out!

Alicia knew a lot about Skye. She went to dance classes with her four times a week at Body Alive Dance Studio. Their squad was BADSS, which looked totally bad but wasn't. It stood for Body Alive Dance Studio Squad, the most boring name in history, in Alicia's opinion.

When she grew up, dancing was going to make her famous, but right now, what was wrong with a little modeling? It couldn't hurt.

* * *

**So I know I never put these, but I need my readers! If anyone wants to fill out that form and PM me or post it in a review, I'll try to use your ideas for the show. We need one for each girl in the PC, including Kristen and Kuh-laire. I'm not giving anything away, b/c I don't think they'll be in the show, but you never know, and I could always use them for future reference. You don't even have to complete a whole form. Even a section would be appreciated. I hate doing this, but I'm running out of ideas, so I want forms for at least 3 out of 5 of the girls before I move on. **

**Heart ya,  
Joy**


	8. Daydreaming Divas

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
AP MATH  
9:02 AM  
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012**

Dylan leaned her head on her hand, staring dreamily out the window. She could just picture a catwalk with billions of glaring lights. And then there were the stars of the show: Massie, Alicia, and of course herself, strutting down the red carpet, posing for the cameras, per_fect_, smile, yes, and turn around, walking back with the perfect mixture of mystery and grace.

And then there would be the afterparty. All sorts of famous people: Cindy Crawford, Kathy Ireland, maybe even Tyra Banks would be there, and they would all congratulate the 11-year-olds for a great job.

"Dylan Marvil!" Her head snapped up so fast she was surprised she didn't break her neck.

"Here!" she yelled dreamily before leaning her head back, closing her Lancome-coated eyes, and going back to her fashion-show fantasy.

"Come to order, class!" hollered the teacher at the top of her lungs. "I can't hear myself think!"

Dylan stuck her tongue out at the girl next to her and sat up. "I have graded your Benchmark tests. Are there any volunteers to help hand them back?"

She shot her hand into the air. When she saw people's grades, she would know who was smart and who wasn't, and who she could bribe into helping her. She got up and took the tests from the teacher's hand. Everyone was smart. The lowest grade Dylan noticed was a B. Her test was at the bottom of the pile. F, the paper stated harshly, along with a small note: See me.

After class, Dylan approached the teacher's desk.

"Dylan Marvil?" Miss Pizzano asked.

"That's me."

"Why don't you try in class?"

That was not what Dylan was prepared for. "What?" she blurted. "I do try!"

"No you don't," the teacher replied gently. "Or if you do, explain why your grades plummeted from an A- last year to an F on a test with questions that you should have known since fifth grade."

"Look," snapped Dylan hotly. "I didn't decide I should be in brainiac math. Why don't you just put me back in the regular class?"

"Because I think you can make it here if you attend extra tutoring sessions and work hard."

"Or I could go to regular math and just be normal." She was scowling now, her eyebrows drawn together ferociously. She'd had it with people ruining her good moods.

"How about we try this until the end of the first quarter?" Miss Pizzano offered, scribbling something on a scrap of notepaper and shoving it across her desk toward her student.

"Fine." She dropped the note into her Louis Vuitton clutch without glancing at it. "Bye."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
GYM A  
9:42 AM  
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012**

Alicia had compromised for a padded sports bra, but she still couldn't stand gym. She padded across the wood floor in her pale pink Nike sneakers and sat gingerly in her squad spot.

Even though she was painfully squatting with her butt inches from the ground so she wouldn't ruin her True Religion distressed jeans, she was still able to fantasize about the fashion show. They'd all strut down the runway together, Alicia in the middle, because she was unquestionably the prettiest. She practiced turning her head: one, two, look right, nod, five, six, glance left, smile.

"Alicia!" hissed a voice. Blissfully, she turned to wave at the photographer...

"ALICIA RIVERA!"

She jerked up. "Yes, ma'am," she said too solemnly.

"Would you like to be a captain?" asked the gym coach severely. She was holding a hat filled with slips of paper. Waving from her fingers was Alicia's name.

"Sure," she agreed. She stood up and joined another girl at the front of the gym.

"Line _up_!" ordered the coach importantly. She gestured to a white dash of paint on the floor. "In front of your captains, please," she said to a girl trying to hide behind the line.

Alicia smiled at her. "Peekaboo," she whispered, waggling her fingers. The class cracked up.

Then the teacher blew an earsplitting note on her whistle. Reflexively, Alicia's hands flew to cover her ears. "Burst my eardrums next time, will you?" she complained irritably.

"Pick your teams!" shouted the teacher bossily.

"For what?" Alicia asked the other captain behind her maincured fingernails.

"Cali Kickball," the girl told Alicia.

She nodded and picked a girl. Slowly, the line dwindled. Alicia and the other captain each tried to force the pickings on the other until, "Enough!" The teacher assigned the rest of the girls sides.

Alicia's team was up first. As she waited for her turn to kick, she leaned against the wall and thought about the catwalk. She would have gotten her team out if the girl in front of her hadn't tapped her on the shoulder after three strikes. "ALICIA!"

She opened her eyes and nodded. On her second try, she kicked the rubber ball across the gym. It slammed into the back wall with a loud THWACK. "Go-ahead home run!" hollered the teacher.

Proud of herself, Alicia raced around the bases, sliding into home with a victorious, "Hell, yeah!" She raised her hands, and was engulfed in high fives.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
MATH  
10:07 AM  
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012**

Dropping her head to her desk, Massie fanned her glossy chestnut-brown hair attractively around her head and let herself imagine her dream dress: a simple shift embellished with studs and a slit. She wanted something that would show off her legs, mostly because she had just been allowed to start waxing, and she was proud of the way the coat of fine, dark hair that had insisted on growing like weeds had been torn right off.

Ignoring the worksheet in front of her, Massie dreamt all through math about being discovered with her two NBFs. _That_ would show Kuh-laire what she was missing. As if she didn't already know.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
ITALIAN  
10:42 AM  
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012**

Kristen sat by herself in Italian, dutifully taking notes on conjugations of "avere." She had overheard Massie and Alicia discussing a fashion show in homeroom and was totally upset that she hadn't been invited to join. Even though she didn't know either of them very well, Massie and Alicia, as far as she knew, had just met, and they were already modeling together. Wasn't that slightly ridiculous?

She gathered her thoughts and tried her hardest to focus on Italian. Going off on crazy tangents had always been her specialty. Ever since her dad had lost most of the family's money in an art deal gone wrong, Kristen had learned not to lust after things that couldn't happen. Whether she couldn't afford something, or be something, or join something, impossible's impossible. And participating in the show was impossible.

Especially since the fundraiser was designed to benefit scholarship kids like Kristen. But she didn't know that.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:11 AM  
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012**

"Make a wish!" suggested Dylan gleefully, her wild red waves swinging as she turned to face Massie and Alicia.

At the same time, they blurted out, "I wish we'll rock that show!" Everyone laughed.

"You don't have to wish. We _will _rock that show," said Dylan.

As Claire walked by, she felt more lonely than ever. She couldn't believe that Massie was a model for a giant fundraiser and hadn't invited her to join in. Why did Massie hate her so much? She might not be as well-off as the girl whose guesthouse she was living in, but she would be pretty enough when the stylists did her up. And any fashion show Massie Block was participating in would be sure to have stylists.

Claire sighed as she plopped her tray down at the table closest to the garbage cans, waiting for Layne. Just because she was rich, why did that mean Massie got all the luck? She didn't realize how Massie acheived the unacheivable: by having in plenty the trait that Claire so lacked: confidence.


	9. Fashion Frenzy

**BLOCK ESTATE  
BACKYARD  
9:28 AM  
SEPTEMBER 6, 2012**

"So guess what?" Massie said as they crossed over the dewy wet grass.

"You're hosting the fundraiser!" shouted Dylan. "My mom told me."

"Ding, ding, ding!" Massie crowed triumphantly.

"I feel left out," Alicia pouted. "I'm not important."

"You're the prettiest," Dylan pointed out. "You can go first."

Massie bristled, but she didn't say anything.

They continued to banter as they arrived at the house. Massie slid the cool glass door open and led the way up the back stairs, her Uggs thump-thumping with every step.

Her friends followed her to her room. Inside waited three personal stylists, plus hair, makeup, and other people. They were holding the girls' forms.

"Hello, gals," said a young Asian woman. "My name is Aimee."

"Hi, Aimee. I'm Massie Block." She reglossed with Blueberry Muffin Glossip Girl.

"Alicia Rivera."

"Dylan Marvil."

After a few seconds of staring awkwardly at each other, each girl joined her assigned sylist.

Then Claire arrived. "What do you want, Kuh-laire?" Massie sneered.

"Why's she here?" demanded Alicia confusedly.

"She lives here," scowled Massie, not wanting to go into further detail. "Kuh-laire?"

"Your mom said to tell you breakfast is ready," she said, taking in the setting with wide eyes.

"Thank you, Kuh-laire," Massie replied pointedly. "Buh-bye now." She waved her out. "Sorry about that."

"Fine, fine." Aimee waved the interruption away and looked down at Massie's sheet. "So for you, we picked... this." She wheeled a rack into the middle of the room and gestured to a beautiful black made-for-the-runway Agnes B dress. It had gold sequins in a flowing pattern over one shoulder and down the back and a slit up to here. Just like she had imagined it. Beautiful gold Miu Miu Swarovski three-inch heels sat on a shelf below the dress.

Massie took four running steps and scooped them up in her arms. "Are these mine?" she breathed happily.

"All yours," smiled Aimee. "Now for you, Miss Rivera, we have..." she shuffled through the material until she found a royal purple strapless Nicole Miller minidress. A white cinch belt was fastenened around the hem. A pleated skirt hung down to her thigh. White Tory Burch flats stood out against her tanned skin.

"I love it!" Alicia squealed, wrapping her arms around the outfit. "Hold on." She pulled out her iPhone and opened her camera to take a picture.

"No, no, no!" shouted one of Aimee's assistants, snatching the device. "No publicity! Sneak peeks ruin the party!"

"Point," Alicia gestured, slipping her phone back into her pocketbook.

"And for Dylan Marvil," announced Aimee importantly, throwing open Massie's closet doors.

"Ehmagawd," breathed Dylan. She almost sank to the floor. "I love it."

A green dress hung from the ceiling. The bodice was soft and velvety with silver sparkle designs. The lace skirt was full and billowed out when Dylan twirled. Below the dress glistened a pair of thin black Brian Atwood pumps with a puff of netting at the toe. A pile of black bangles lay in a jewelry box that was propped up next to the dress. Black diamond drop earrings were lying next to them.

"Who designed it?" asked Dylan inquisitively.

"Donna Karan," replied Janice, Dylan's stylist.

"Ehmagawd!" she cried. "I cannot wear Donna Karan! She designs for women with fat asses."

"She does nawt!" shouted Massie indignantly. "I wear Donna Karan!"

"En_ough_!" reprimanded Janice. She turned to face Dylan. "Either you wear the dress, or you go naked." The other two stylists joined her, folding their arms over their chests, giving off an extremely strong _Charlie's Angels_ vibe.

"Fine, I'll wear it," Dylan mumbled, her face heating up. "God."

"Good."

And thus concludes the morning in which Massie, Alicia, and Dylan learn all about modeling. But there's much more to go.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
MASSIE'S HALLWAY  
10:43 AM  
SEPTEMBER 6, 2012**

Claire leaned against the doorframe, pressing her ear against Massie's door. When she heard the sounds of the women beginning to pack up, she positioned herself in a runner's stance: her front knee bent, her back foot resting on the bottoms of her toes. As the door began to open, she made a mad dash for the stairs. But she wasn't fast enough.

"Kuh-laire?" demanded Massie. "What are you _doing_?"

"Leaving," she snapped, in a vain effort to escape.

"Look what you did." Massie raised her perfectly tweezed eyebrows and pointed to the staircase. She grabbed her gold Juicy Couture ring and slid it back up her finger before it fell.

Claire looked around confusedly.

"Down."

She glanced below her at the polished hardwood steps. Her cheap rubber Target flip-flops had left marks all down the first flight of stairs. There was a reason Massie had gone the back way.

"Omigod! I'm so sorry!" Claire apoligized. "Will, I mean, do you, uh, should I pay for it?" she stammered.

"Don't worry. This is pocket change." Massie and her friends swung past Claire, leaving her alone.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
INDOOR POOL  
10:59 AM  
SEPTEMBER 6, 2012**

Laughing, Alicia pulled off her white Ann Taylor halter top and denim shorts to reveal a red-and-white striped Ralph Lauren bikini. She cannon-balled into the pool. "It's warm," she sputtered as she shot back up to the surface.

"It's always warm." Massie stripped off her purple-and-white DKNY sundress. She was wearing a ruffled white bandeau top and matching bottoms. Both were artfully lined with purple and gold rhinestones. She slipped into the water.

Dylan watched her two friends joke around as she yanked off a turquoise cami. She slid off a beautiful white skirt with embroidery that matched her tank. She would never admit it was from Aeropostale. Kicking off her black Guess flip flops, she leapt to join her friends in a royal-blue v-neck bathing suit top and boy shorts.

After fooling around for a few minutes, they pulled themselves up onto the inflatable raft and gossiped. "What _is_ that girl doing here anyway?" Alicia asked.

Massie sighed. "My dad knew her dad from business school, but my dad was successful and her's wasn't. Anyway, they're uber-excited because her dad just got this "giant promotion."" She rolled her eyes. "But apparently they don't have enough money to buy their own house, so her family's staying with us. In the guesthouse, obviously," she added quickly. "Not _with _us." She cringed.

"Nice of you," Alicia said dismissively. She couldn't imagine sharing her beautiful Spanish mansion with anybody.

Massie nodded and fake-fanned herself, admiring the heart decals on her MAC cream-colored nails. "I know, right?" She drew it out.

Her friends laughed appreciatively, and right at that moment, Massie felt the connection between her and her clique. She felt the sisterly love flowing between them, and she knew immediatly that these were the girls she'd want to spend all her time with. First crushes, first dates, first kisses, first break-ups, first exes... She could tell them everything. They were true friends.

"Mass?" Dylan leaned over and shook her shoulder. "You fell asleep on us."

"Sorry." Then she shoved Dylan into the pool.

"Hey!" she shrieked. "Come on, help me up?"

Reluctantly, Massie offered her a hand, and Dylan yanked her in.

Alicia, not wanting to be left out, jumped in too.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
SAUNA  
11:33 AM  
SEPTEMBER 6, 2012**

Shivering, Massie wrapped a fluffy purple towel around her body and tied it, leaving her hands free to pick up her clothes. She slid her feet into the Marc Jacobs thongs at her feet and padded after her friends into the steamy, welcoming room Alicia and Dylan waited in.

"Ahh," Massie murmured as she sat on a bench. She leaned back against a wall, savoring the warmth. Carelessly, she drifted into a dream about beautiful dresses getting drenched by boiling pool water.

**PINEWOOD APARTMENTS  
KITCHEN  
12:02 PM  
SEPTEMBER 6, 2012  
**

"Come on, Mom," Kristen urged as she lounged in a chair, waiting for Mrs. Gregory to finish making turkey sandwiches. "I'm going to be late for soccer. There's a huge game at Trinity, and I'm playing forward." She was practically bouncing in her seat.

Her mother whipped around, brandishing a knife. "Don't yell at me while I'm cutting," she scolded. "Would you like my finger to fall off?"

"No," scowled Kristen. "But I _would_ like you to hurry." To keep from saying something nasty, she buried her nose in a magazine. She was reading up on reviews about the movie _Bend it Like Beckham_, which she kept begging her mom to let her borrow from the library. But no was the resident response: PG13 movies were banned until she was, well, 13. Duh.

Finally, her mother placed a plate in front of her daughter and said, "Eat up."

Kristen devoured her sandwich before leaping up, dumping it among the suds in the sink, and racing to the front door. "Time to go!" she hollered.

"What is the big deal?" her mom asked as she placed the key in the lock.

"This is the game that determines whether make the league," she slowed down just enough to explain. She declined to describe the complicated world of competitive private-school sports. Her mother would get it eventually.

She pulled open the door of their well-used Honda Accord and jumped into the passenger seat. She flung her sports bag over her shoulder into the back and said, "Let's go."


	10. Shocking Revelations

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SOCIAL STUDIES  
9:00 AM  
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012**

"Ugh," Massie said automatically as Kristen walked into the room. One thing she'd learned from Ahnna was that Alphas dissed whoever bothered them without a second thought.

"What?" asked Alicia, who was organizing her sparkly notebooks inside a sophisticated white Claire Fontaine binder with pink roses.

"Kristen," Massie replied with a toss of her hair. She watched the slender girl make her way to the seat she'd occupied ever since Massie had told her off.

"Why were you so mean to her?" wondered her friend. Now she was sorting through the lipsticks she kept in her pencil case. She selected one and brought it up to her mouth, unscrewing the top before running it across her top lip.

"Actually, it wasn't even her fault," Massie commented casually, the way she'd learned from Ahnna. "It was almost yours."

"Excuse me?!" Alicia dropped the tube on her desk and turned to face Massie. She raised her arched eyebrows. "What did you say?"

Trying to speak calmly and slow her rapidly beating heart, Massie said, "Well, you did let her take my seat. Would you like it if I did that to you?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't make a big deal out of it like you did." Now Alicia was stowing her books underneath her chair. Massie couldn't figure out why she wouldn't look up. Was Alicia afraid of Massie?

"I'm so sorry..." she said snarkily, but couldn't think of anything else to say. That was another thing she needed to do. When she got home, Plan A was to make a list of good comebacks.

Alicia didn't dignify her totally lame statement with a response. Instead, she looked up and away from Massie as the teacher entered the room.

Had she just lost a friend? Sometimes middle school drama was just too confusing.

And she's calling _that _drama?

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
LIFE SCIENCE  
9:11 AM  
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012**

Claire sat quietly at her desk, running a hand through her almost-white hair. In black leggings, faux-suede cowgirl boots, and a sea-green t-shirt stating simply, 'Save the Drama for Your Llama,' Claire had thought she looked pretty cool. But now she realized it was far from Massie-cool.

"Hang in there," she told herself, glancing at the mermaid Swatch her mother had bought her for her last birthday, not seeming to realize no one wore Swatches anymore. Her teacher had officially been droning on and on about nothing for exactly six minutes, and Claire knew that if it was remotely possible to die of boredom, she would be on the ground, breathless.

Her vision blurred as her eyes involuntarily followed the teacher back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, as she paced the classroom. When would it be time to go home? Not back to the Block's retarded guesthouse. _Home _home. Back to Orlando, with Disney World and Universal Studios. Back to sun and warmth, not the wierd frigid air that engulfed Westchester. Back to Mandy, and Sarah, and Sari. Back home. Home.

Claire couldn't help but lean her chin on her desk and sob.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
GYM A  
9:44 AM  
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012**

As Alicia strolled over to her assigned spot on the gym floor, she thought about modeling lessons. Every afternoon until the fashion show, she, Massie, and Dylan would be learning about nothing else from 3-6 every day. Oh, boy.

Not that she wasn't excited. But three hours? A _day_? That was a little much. I mean, face it, she was _Alicia Rivera_. She just _had_ to be a natural.

We'll see.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
****HOME EC  
10:27 AM  
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012**

Dylan dug her French-manicured nails into her forehead, regardless of the stinging red marks she knew they'd leave. Normally, her memory surpassed any of her other features, but it was like her brain had sunk into oblivion. Her mother had kept her up until almost dawn last night so they could discuss the show- and Dylan's outburst. After that, she hadn't seen a point in going to bed, so she'd spent her time putting together the best outfit any sixth grader at OCD had ever worn.

A Diane Von Furstenburg Esperanza silk-chiffon top was perfectly layered with about six pounds of jet-black bead necklaces. A matching ring adorned her wedding finger: risque but beautiful. Uber-tight black Prada skinny jeans showed off her legs, and maybe a little hidden-by-her-shirt fat, although she'd never admit it to anyone else. An ice-blue metallic Coach handbag dangled from her shoulder. Matching a-size-too-big flats were on her feet. Even though her feet had a little too much space to move around, the shoes were uber-comfy and looked great with the outfit. Her hair hung perfectly around her shoulder, just barely showing off black plastic hoops that coordinated amazingly with the clasp on her purse. It was only third period, and she'd already gotten about fifteen compliments. Her confidence was sky-high.

"So how could you prevent pie-crust edges from burning?" the teacher inquired rhetorically, quizzing her students on the mini-speech she'd just given.

Dylan's hand shot up. After the teacher nodded at her, she blurted, "Cover it with aluminum foil."

"Exactly." Dylan was rewarded with a smile. Then the bell went off.

"Class dismissed!"

Dylan managed to make her way through the throng of students stampeding towards the door without getting her beautiful shoes trampled. Today was a good day.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
FIRST-FLOOR BATHROOM  
11:19 AM  
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012**

Kristen sat on a stall bench. She'd gotten used to bringing a brown paper bag with a cold lunch and eating in the powder room. Not a particularly great state of affairs, but she could deal. And it was much easier to study in a lonely bathroom than a noisy, crowded cafe. At least that's what she told herself.

She flipped open her workbook to Page 6 and took out a pencil. After sharpening it, she focused on the first problem. _If there are 86 apples, and two of them are rotten, how many apples are not rotten? Simplify your answer. _She scribbled her work into her notebook, and tried to move on to the next problem. Before she knew it, she was crying. Not a couple of tears running down her cheeks, not tiny sobs, full-fledged _crying_.

She hadn't acknowledged her feelings for OCD until right then. Why was she eating in the bathroom when she could be hanging out with Belle and the rest of the team in the courtyard, kicking a ball around? Why wasn't it easier to be friends with Massie and Alicia? Why couldn't she just be popular, for hell's sake? She clenched her first in anger, staring down at her raggedy, chewed-up nails, which, miraculously, gave her the answer.

It was because she wasn't like those girls, the ones that had everything handed down to them on a silver platter. With giant mansions and summer homes in Paris, and Hawaii, and Antigua, and winter houses in Aspen and Norway.

Her biggest interests were playing sports, doing well in school, having _fun_. And if that wasn't what these girls were about, then that was their problem. Fuck the prissy little bitches in their adorable pleated skirts and perfectly styled hair. They could all go to hell. From now on, all Kristen was going to do was enjoy herself. She was going to have a life that pleased _her_.

If only it was that easy.


	11. Dresses and Shoes and Makeup Oh, My!

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
LOBBY  
2:32 PM  
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012**

Massie waited with Alicia and Dylan. The redhead's driver was coming to pick them up, but so far he hadn't shown. In her peripheral vision, she noticed Claire walking toward them. She was so sick of that girl following her around like a puppy it wasn't even funny. "What...do...you...want?" she growled, shooting an apoligetic look to her friends. She was definitely about to blow, but a showdown in a crowded room filled with wealthy girls from rich families wasn't her thing. She took a deep breath. She'd _make_ it her thing.

"Where's Issac?" Claire asked simply.

"He's not coming." Massie hadn't thought about how Claire was supposed to get home, but it wasn't her problem. Kendra might have told her to be nicer to her new neighbor, but Massie wasn't her mother, for hell's sake. "Call your mom."

"I don't have a cell phone," Claire stammered.

"Really?" This was alien to Massie. She didn't know anyone without their own phone. "Oh, I know." An evil smile crept across her face. "Why don't you hitch a ride with your new friend? What's her name? _Layme_?" This earned a laugh from Alicia and a high-five from Dylan.

"Layne," said Claire quietly. "Maybe I will." She ran to where her friend was standing.

Massie looked away. "Sometimes I hate her."

"She tries," commented Dylan, surprising Massie with her caring tone. "Westchester's new to her."

"Yeah, she's not used to playin' with the big girls," quipped Alicia.

"Hey! There's Lloyd!" Dylan said gleefully.

"To Single Ladies by Beyonce," ordered Massie. The other two arranged themselves behind her to make a triangle, and they strutted out of OCD. Done for the day.

**MARVIL MANOR  
THIRD-FLOOR HALLWAY  
3:01 PM  
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012**

"Okay," said Aimee. "The first thing we will work on is walk. No one ever gets this right."

Alicia held in a squeak of indignation. The stylist would find out soon enough.

"Massie, you first." She turned her head perfectly so that her hair fell over her shoulder, and held her own as she cringe-walked down the hall in the heels from hell. "Not bad, not bad," Aimee nodded. Alicia and Dylan air-clapped. "You have to get used to heels, though." She scribbled a note in the black space on Massie's form. "Next!"

Dylan stepped up. Rising magnificently to the occasion, she rocked it down the hall, posed, and came back. "Um-hmm." Now Aimee smiled.

Alicia grinned. This had to be easy if Dylan could carry herself with that kind of easy grace. Especially since Alicia was in flats. She filled her lungs with air and stepped onto the red carpet Aimee had unrolled as a fake runway. After one step, she realized this was not as easy as it looked. 'Confidence,' she thought determinedly. She straightened up, but she didn't know what to do with her arms, and she kind of felt like an awkward gorilla. She made it there and back, but she knew she hadn't done well when Aimee's face fell. She barely heard the head woman mutter to her assistant, "One-and-a-half out of three. Not bad."

"Let's try again." She pulled out a mini-camera and positioned it on a tripod. "Watch yourselves this time."

Dylan went first, repeated her amazing walk, and pressed Play. The others crowded around to see how she looked on video. "Hey, I'm good at this." Dylan grinned.

Massie went next. She had adjusted to the shoes, and was able to perform decently, if not pretty damn well. She watched her recording, and Alicia could practically see her friend mentally comparing herself to the girl whose house they were practicing in.

"Alright," Alicia announced. Everyone turned to look at her. She placed her reverse-French-manicured hand on her hip and tried to sway down the hall. She knew what her mother, the retired model from Spain, always said: "Si lo tienes, que ostentan." or "If you've got it, flaunt it." Alicia tried. She tried to flaunt her curves, flaunt her boobs, flaunt her beautiful Spanish skin. Then she watched her video. It sucked.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

**MARVIL MANOR  
****STAIRCASE  
3:59 PM  
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012**

Dylan walked with Massie while Alicia moped along behind them. "Did you see her?" she mumbled.

"I thought she'd be better at this," Massie muttered back, hoping Alicia was out of earshot.

"Me too." They continued in silence for a minute, and then, right before they'd arrived at her room, Dylan whisper-squealed, "I've got it!"

"Got what?" Massie brushed hair out of her face and stared at Dylan.

"Couldn't we look around and find another model?" she asked in the manner of someone who is afraid of their own ideas. "It's my mom's fashion show, after all. We can just say she looked at the videos and didn't like Alicia's, so she wanted us to choose someone else." Dylan grinned eagerly at Massie, not only because she was sure this would impress her, but because she was proud of her great idea. In a family filled with two know-it-all older sisters, and an uber, uber-famous mother, she wasn't listened to very often.

"It's worth a shot," acknowledged Massie, nodding. "Alright, split up before she gets suspicious."

Slowly, they edged away from each other, Dylan entering her room first and Massie lagging behind with Alicia.

She turned the doorknob and pulled the sea-green door open. She stopped short in her tracks. "Eh-ma-gawd." The room was filled with makeup. Dylan dearly loved her cosmetics, but she never spent _this_ much time on them. There was a tray on her desk chair, and on her immaculate desk were piles and stacks of eyeshadow, rows of eyeliner and mascara, and hanging up above it were posters of each of the girls, their faces computer-edited to be free of makeup.

She plopped onto her bottom bunk, the only place that wasn't covered in makeup, and scanned her room in wonder. On her nightstand were containers of every single shade of blush that existed. On top of her completely cleared-out bookcase lay concealer, on her top shelf sat foundation, and her bottom shelf was filled to the brim with hair-styling products. Her thin forest-green rug had been pushed to the side of the room. On it were hundreds of lip glosses and tubes of lipsticks. The gold-edged full-length mirror gleamed upon them all as it winked back their reflections.

"Line up!" called Aimee, standing with a group of other people at the head of the room.

"Ugh, gym," Alicia said under her breath.

Massie and Dylan forced a giggle, turning to face the stylists.

"Makeup _off_!" Aimee wiggled her fingers in a secret signal behind her back, and the room came alive with people, swarming the large space like locusts. Two sat down on Dylan's bed with her, another couple went into her walk-in closet with Massie, and Alicia was on the stairs that led up to her loft.

"Everything off, understood?" said the Chinese woman who was peering at Dylan's face. She nodded. In case she had bad breath, she didn't want the stranger smelling it. She rubbed a foul-smelling lotion onto Dylan's face, massaging it over her. Dylan fought to keep herself from scraping it off. Carefully, the woman picked up a damp white washcloth and ran it over Dylan's cheeks. The cool water came as a relief. When she removed the rag, the stinging moisturizer came off with it. After making sure every last residue of her makeup was removed, the stylist sat, satisfied, on a bench with a line of other people.

Soon, the other two were done also. "I look ugly!" a voice came from inside the closet. Even though someone had thoughtfully closed the French doors, Massie still felt uncomfortable. It was hard to approach two other very beautiful people with a non-made-up face.

"You're always beautiful!" called Dylan, not sure how loud she had to scream to get Massie to hear her from behind the doors. No one ever closed them.

"You don't have to worry," snapped Alicia impatiently.

"Why?"

"Cuz you get more beautiful every day!" she yelled.

Dylan nodded enthusiastically, even though Massie couldn't see her. "And since you've lived for eleven years, I'm sure you'll look ah-mazing."

"Alright." Massie edged out of the closet.

"You don't look any different," said Dylan. She had been expecting her friend to look like a total troll, but she looked exactly the same as the day they'd met. Gorgeous. Amazing.

Perfect.

**MARVIL MANOR  
DYLAN'S ROOM  
4:18 PM  
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012**

She knew she'd looked pretty the whole time, but Massie had just wanted to hear her friends say it. What girl doesn't enjoy fishing for compliments?

She grabbed a brush from Dylan's shelf, ran it through her hair, then fluffed it out so it fell down her back perfectly. She took a step out from the closet as the other two walked cautiously to the center of the room. Slowly, they took each other in. Drum roll, please... Everyone looked exactly the same. Big what.

"So first we project an image of the makeup we'd like to try onto your poster," explained Aimee, gesturing to three Macs balancing on the top bunk of Dylan's bed. A stylist climbed up and immediatly began to add shades of color to their air-brushed faces. "We do one girl at a time."

"Me!" Massie broke in, sounding at the same time like an excited kindergartener and a bored eighth-grader. Alicia and Dylan sat on Dylan's bed, chatting.

Massie stepped into the makeshift spotlight that had been fastened somewhat precariously to the ceiling of Dylan's room. She made sure she kept away from being directly underneath it, just in case the light fell.

"We are going to focus on your eyes," proclaimed Aimee, brandishing foundation in one hand and concealer in the other. "But first we have to go through the basic steps." She dabbed on lotions and brushed on powders, turning the 11-year-old this way and that to see what looked good. It took twenty minutes just to get the "basics" right. Then she picked up a palette filled with any possible eyeshadow color in the world. Lime green and cocoa brown and royal blue and hot pink and charcoal black and gittery white, and many, many others. After testing out little samples on Massie's lids, she said to the woman at the computers, "尝试的浅绿色，衬托出她的眼睛." Massie didn't know what that meant, but a few seconds later a light olive green flashed onto her poster lids. It accentuated the flecks of color in her eyes.

"I like it!" she exclaimed happily.

Aimee ignored her. Now she was examining different types of mascara and squinting at Massie. "Your eyelashes are long but thin, yes?"

"Yes."

"So we will try this." She showed the stylist on Dylan's bed a long green tube emblazoned with silver letters. Quickly, poster-Massie's eyelashes doubled in volume.

"Yes, yes!" Massie whisper-breathed.

"Now for blush..." She led Massie over to Dylan's nightstand, holding up powder after powder to the girl's cheeks. "Smile, don't smile, tight smile, just your eyes... This one. 你认为将是很好的一个浅玫瑰红?" she added.

"当然." She tapped a few keys and a rosy tint appeared, leaving the girl's face glowing.

"现在的嘴唇。薄，但不难看。喜欢你的睫毛," she said to herself. After sifting through a pile of lip gloss, she said, "尝试一些半红." A reddish tint appeared. It looked okay, but, "也许桃花会更好看，就这一个."

Now a more opaque look plumped Massie's lips, making the real her smile. "Perfect," said Aimee. "Next!"

Alicia stepped up. She knew she hadn't done well on the runway, but this was where she shone. She was about to open her mouth to tell Aimee exactly what looked good on her, but she stopped. Massie hadn't said a word, yet her poster looked great. She closed her mouth and her eyes as Aimee began testing shades.

The stylist on the bed moved over to the next computer and pressed a key. It booted up, sending a beam of light towards Alicia's poster. "You need to bring out your lips," murmured Aimee. She led Alicia over to the rug and sat her down, trying out colors. "粉色和桃色的," she ordered the computer woman.

A light sheen appeared on her poster image. Alicia nodded, liking the look.

"Now eyes."

The stylist zoomed in on Alicia's gleaming ones. "Purple," said Aimee. "It goes with your dress." She held it up to the woman, who quickly entered it on the Mac. "And eyeliner."

After Alicia's poster was completely finished, she looked transformed.

Dylan was done up with eyeliner, heavy blush, and red lips: fierce and daring, like a star.

Massie looked at her friends, then up at their images on paper. Somehow, she couldn't imagine their computer-looks on any of them.

**FDR PARK  
SOCCER FIELD  
5:46 PM  
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012**

Kristen passed the ball back to Belle, who slammed it toward their defense. The practice had gone well, and out of it had appeared a fresh, new Kristen. No longer was she going to try to impress anyone. She would do whatever felt right to her, and damn everyone else. She was going to start only paying attention to those who mattered.


	12. Tears of Joy, Tears of Pain

**BLOCK ESTATE  
MASSIE'S ROOM  
7:56 AM  
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012**

"We need a new model," Massie told Dylan. She sat down at her desk chair and lifted her feet up. Then she pushed off and twirled around and around, her legs sticking out in front of her.

"I know." Dylan sounded bored and impatient. "We'll both look for one."

"Roger." Massie turned off her iPhone and dropped it on her bed. Today they would find someone who was worthy of modeling with the esteemed Dylan Marvil and Massie Block.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SOCIAL STUDIES  
8:54 AM  
SEPTEMBER 9, 2O12**

Although Kristen Gregory didn't yet know it, this would be the deciding desicion. She would either hold her ground and turn down the best oppurtunity of her life, or she'd bow down to Massie Block and lose all of her recently-discovered dignity. Tough choice.

"Hey!" Massie cooed as soon as Kristen entered the classroom. "I'm so glad you came in early!"

"I have to talk to Mrs. Parker," she said coldly. "Excuse me."

Massie held out both her arms and jumped in front of Kristen. "Hold on, hold on, just listen to me."

Kristen had never had someone so popular want to speak to her this badly. Would she stick to her guns and ignore her, or listen? "What do you want?"

Massie knew she could win her over. "Dylan Marvil and I are modeling for a Daily Grind-hosted fundraiser. Do you want to join us?"

Six simple words, yet they turned Kristen's world upside-down. She had made a resolution not the day before to do what made _her _happy, not to be backstabbed by the populars. But she would never have this chance again, not once in her life, unless she did what Massie wanted her to. Why was everything so complicated? "I'll think about it," she struggled.

"Hollywood waits for no one," said Massie with a head tilt and a giggle. Then she sauntered off to her desk. "Come sit with Dylan and me at lunch!" she called over her shoulder.

Forgetting all about her appointment with the teacher, Kristen sat in her chair, placing her books on the floor. Why did this have to happen the day after she had finally promised herself not to be like this? And did she take the offer?

No one would know how low she was if she agreed to do the fashion show. She hadn't told anyone about her resolution. On the other hand, if she didn't back down, she was missing out on an amazing chance. She couldn't pass this up. Could she?

Her toes curled against her flip flops, and she bit nervously at her pinkie nail until the edges bled.

Kristen's stomach was in knots.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SOCIAL STUDIES  
9:23 AM  
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012**

Alicia sighed. Today she had nothing to do but listen to the teacher. The phone she had thought was charging all night was dead, and Massie was being unusually quiet, smiling across the room to Kristen, or actually filling in the worksheets for once. She hadn't said a word to Alicia other than 'Hi' and 'Excuse me.' Cold and formal, not a hint of the friendly girl who had befriended her on the first day of school. Was she being paranoid, or was Massie being uber-wierd?

She thought back to her fail on the red carpet yesterday. Just because she wasn't amazing at strutting her stuff didn't mean Massie had to ignore her. Couldn't she just tell Alicia if she was disappointed in her performance? And it wasn't even Massie's place to be thinking like that, or acting like this. It wasn't even her fashion show, for God's sake. It was Dylan's. And Alicia had invited _her_ to join, not the other way around.

She examined her nails, fidgeting with the cuticles. She made a mental note to go to the spa one day this week. Then she remembered: she had modeling. Fine. She'd schedule another time.

Then again, she needed the practice. Obviously.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
ORCHESTRA  
9:35 AM  
SEPTEMBER 9, 2O12**

On a good day, the orchestra room smelled old and musty. On a bad day, it stunk like rotten eggs and greasy gutters. Today was one of those days. However, Claire was used to the smell. Every day, she came in here to practice with Ms. Faye, the teacher, just to avoid Massie. But just three days with the world-renowned violinist had improved her playing to such a degree that she hardly recognized her own sound. These days, her daydreams, instead of focusing on Massie and her clique, now centered on Carnegie Hall.

Claire slid her viola out of its case. Positioning the bow in her hand, she lightly played a soft, simple melody from The Hunger Games. She sang the words in her head: _Deep in the meadow, under the willow, a bed of grass, a soft green pillow. _She continued humming with her eyes screwed tightly shut as she strummed the verse.

It was four minutes after the bell had rung when she got the feeling everyone was staring at her. Bewildered, she looked around. Her classmates were watching wide-eyed, awestruck. She put down the instrument, her face burning. "Sorry."

But no one heard her. Every girl was clapping. Ms. Faye conductor-signaled for the class to tone it down. When they did, she said, "That was beautiful, Claire. Could you stay with me after class for a little while, please?"

Claire nodded. "Sure," she said, her eyebrows scrunched together quizically. She had no idea why the teacher wanted to see her if wasn't to give detention.

When the bell rang at the end of the period, Claire packed up her mini-violin and approached the middle-aged woman. "Ms. Faye?" she asked shyly.

"Sit down, hon." She gestured to a seat. Claire pulled it up and sat, facing her teacher, who slid a folder out of her desk drawer. "This is for Honors Band. Normally, this is for ninth grade and up, but you seem to be a little bit of a prodigy. That tune might seem easy, but most sixth graders, probably seventh graders, couldn't play it. With a little training and some lessons, which I'd be happy to provide, I'm sure you could join the older girls." She smiled happily at her student. "It would look amazing on your college applications."

Claire didn't need any encouragment. This was how she could define herself! Finally, something she was good at that Massie wasn't. She was pretty sure Massie couldn't play the viola as well as she could. No _way_.

"Thank you. I'd love to." Claire beamed radiantly, reaching over to accept the file brimming with papers.

"You'd have to get your parents to sign these, of course," explained Ms. Faye. Then her other students began streaming in. "I will e-mail your parents for a conference."

Claire picked up the packet. Before she left the classroom, she was already crying tears of joy. _Finally_.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:09 AM  
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012**

Dylan was already waiting for her when Massie appeared, leading another girl. "Over here," she heard her friend say.

When she had a clearer view, Dylan squinted and shook her head. No fucking way. This could not be the same girl that was crying so hard when Massie had tormented her. When the blonde looked up, her eyes went wide too.

Massie sat down. "Dylan, Kristen," she introduced, waving her hand lazily. "Kristen, Dylan."

"We've met," pronounced Dylan cooly and casually.

"Oh, that's good," said Massie as Alicia approached Table 20. "Uh, oh."

"Hi," waved Alicia as she sat down. "Oh, hey, Kristen? What are you doing here? I mean, no offense." She reached for a packet of Italian dressing.

"Massie wanted to talk to me about modeling," replied Kristen, fully unaware that she was starting World War III.

"What?" Alicia exclaimed. "I thought you only needed three models." She glared at Dylan. But she was only confused, not angry. She didn't know that Kristen was to be taking her place. But she would soon find out.

"Yeah, about that," said Massie uncomfortably. She decided not to mince words. "We're kicking you out." She looked away.

"What?!" Alicia banged on the table, which vibrated so loudly that girls from tables 19 and 21 glanced over. "It's not your desicion!"

"You're right," acknowledged Massie quickly. "Dylan?"

"Mymomdidn'tlikeyourvideososhetoldustofindanotherm odel. Sorry," she said, shrugging. Now that she had gotten the worst part over with, she was at ease.

"I'll be lodging a complaint!" Alicia shout-muttered as she stormed out of the cafeteria, dumping her food in the trash on the way out.

"Massie!" reprimanded Kristen, staring at the doorway out of which Alicia had departed.

"Uh-huh?"

"You didn't tell me I was stealing someone's spot! This isn't right. I'll go get her and tell her she can rejoin. I wasn't sure I wanted to do this anyway." She pushed her chair away from the round wooden table and turned away.

"No!" Massie panicked. "You don't get it. She sucked at modeling. You'll be much better." She wasn't sure if what she was saying was really true, but she had to soothe Kristen. Losing two models in one day was not her idea of fun. How she got placed in the role of boss, she wasn't sure. Um, maybe it was because she wanted so badly to be Alpha?

Dylan could only roll her eyes. She was all too glad she wasn't Massie Block. She didn't think she'd be able to handle it.


	13. Early Dismissal?

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
FIRST-FLOOR HALLWAY  
11:40 AM  
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012**

Massie was making her way to AP English when she heard the announcment. "Could Massie Block, Alicia Rivera, and Dylan Marvil please come to the front desk? Massie Block, Alicia Rivera, and Dylan Marvil to the front desk for dismissal." She detoured to her locker. Quickly, she spun her combination: 11, (the age she was now) 21, (the age she couldn't wait to be) and 9 (the age she never wanted to be again). She dumped her books into her bag, slung it over her shoulder, slammed the cold, gray door, and click-clacked down the hall in cream-colored Miu Miu pumps. Her black Gucci pencil skirt (the same one that Alicia hadn't worn on the first day) clung perfectly to her thighs, and her loose white shirt was tucked into the skirt. Drop earrings that matched her shoes completed the outfit.

When she got to the front of the building, Dylan was already waiting with her mother. "Hi, Ms. Marvil," Massie greeted the television host. "I'm Massie."

"Nice to meet you." She had a frosty but kind smile, and her hair was the exact same shade as Dylan's, but with strawberry highlights. "Who are we waiting for?"

"Alicia," said Dylan.

"Kristen," Massie overpowered her.

Merri-Lee looked from one to the other confusedly.

"The girl I found first was Alicia, but she... isn't really a good model, so we chose Kristen Gregory to replace her," Dylan explained.

"You can't just give up on someone after one session," Merri-Lee disapproved hypocritically. How many times had she fired an assistant after five minutes? At least the two sixth graders had lasted until the next day. But she turned to the lady manning the lobby. "Could you please send Alicia Rivera back to class and pull out Kristen Gregory? Thank you."

Mrs. Jenkins stared at her quizically, but picked up the intercom with a smirk and paged Miss Ferrito's Italian class. "Sorry for the interruption; Could we please have Kristen Gregory to the front desk for dismissal?"

"Si." The intercom bleeped off. Mrs. Jenkins turned it back on and called Fashion Design. "Did Alicia Rivera hear the announcment that Merri-Lee Marvil is waiting for her?"

"Yes, she left a few minutes ago."

"Okay, we made a mistake, she's going to come back," said Mrs. Jenkins apoligetically.

"Fine."

Soon, Alicia swaggered up to them with a practiced stride. "You can go back to class, honey," Mrs. Jenkins told her. "Even the great Merri-Lee Marvil makes mistakes." She laughed.

Alicia face turned redder and redder. "Why did you call me down then?" She fought to keep her voice calm.

Mrs. Jenkins shrugged. "Back to class, now."

Alicia almost growled as she stomped back toward her locker to drop off her things. This wasn't embarassing at all.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
LOBBY  
11:50 AM  
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012**

In a few minutes, Kristen arrived. When she saw Merri-Lee Marvil standing with Massie and Dylan, her heart skipped a beat. She knew that Merri-Lee was obviously going to be a part of this, but she hadn't expected her to be standing there, in the flesh.

"Hi, I'm Dylan's mother," the woman smiled.

"Kristen. Kristen Gregory." She held her hand out for her to shake. After skimming Kristen's outfit of denim capris, flip-flops, and a Juicy Couture t-shirt, she returned the courtesy.

"Alright, chicks, let's go!" announced Merri-Lee, turning on her heel and walking toward the double doors. "The stylists wanted to spend more time on your personal red carpet styles. And here, Kristen," she added, pulling out a yellow envelope. "You'll have to fill out a form."

Kristen accepted the paper, leafing through the packets. As soon as they were settled in Dylan's limo, Kristen pulled a binder and pen out of her bag, balanced the release on it, and began scribbling.

It took about fifteen minutes to arrive at the Marvil house. "Eh-ma-gawd." Kristen almost passed out. There was a gigantic mansion framed by a beautiful garden on all four sides, or at least the three that she could see. A marble archway was flanked by black granite fences. Merri-Lee typed in a passcode, and the fences swung out so they could enter. All Kristen could do was stare in disbelief. What could anyone do with this kind of money?

"Come on, Kris!" called Dylan, used to her own place.

She stumbled after the group. She was already feeling like the odd-one-out.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
FASHION DESIGN  
12:15 PM  
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012**

Alicia leaned back in her chair. She was still smoldering from the humiliation. She had been called out of class early so she could go home with Merri-Lee Marvil, yet she was still stuck with bitchy Miss Reynolds. She clenched a fist, her stomach tightening. But there was one thing she knew, as an evil grin spread across her face: there is nothing Alicia Rivera does better than revenge.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
GYM B  
12:22 AM  
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012**

At the moment, Claire Lyons wasn't particularly happy either. Half-an-hour ago, she'd passed the front desk on the way back from the bathroom, and who had she seen but Massie Block with her phony friends, laughing and seeming completely at ease with who else but Merri-Lee Marvil! If there was any justice in this world...

Looks like we have some partners in crime.

**MARVIL MANOR  
THIRD-FLOOR HALLWAY  
12:30 PM  
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012**

Grinning, Dylan showed off her strut to her mom, who was watching interestedly. "Sitting lazily in front of a TV ad-libbing is my thing," she'd commented more than once. "But apparently modeling is yours!"

Kristen was nervous as she watched both girls rock it. But she knew she had the power to do the same. Hoping her butt looked cute and perky in her a-little-too-tight jeans, she stepped up to the edge of the carpet and gave it her all.

"Yeah, Kris!" she heard both Massie and Dylan cheer. "You go, girl!" She couldn't tell if they were yelling quite so loudly because she was really good or because they were relieved because she was at least better than Alicia. But either one was good enough for her.

Dylan smiled, sitting happily next to Massie. Modeling really was her thing. She felt so at-home on the runway, and sharing the feeling with her NBF was even better. She was liking this more and more.


	14. Planning Stages

**BLOCK ESTATE  
DRIVEWAY  
5:43 AM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

Claire knew perfectly well that the Spanish beauty, Alexis or Ally or something, didn't like Massie either. She had watched from the shadows as the Alpha had dissed her, and knew that her and that girl had something in common. If everything went her way, she would be able to do something about Massie, maybe even take her down once and for all. All she had to do was complete the plan, and Part 1 was the riskiest.

She practically crawled across the concrete. Once she was out of sight range of both the Blocks and the Lyons's, she ran across the front yard and around to the side of the house. Crossing her fingers, hoping against hope that the door was open, she turned the knob and gave it a sharp pull. It swung open silently, and Claire slipped inside.

Looking around, she tried to figure out which of the three staircases facing her led to Massie's bedroom. She knew she had only one try to get there before Massie or someone else woke up. She tested the bottom stair of the middle staircase, seeing if it creaked like the ones in the guesthouse. But it didn't, so she stayed near the railing, tiptoeing toward her destination.

When she arrived at the top landing, the entire area looked different, tilted, as though she were in a wierd, bleak nightmare. She took a shallow breath and crept across the hallway. Yes! There was Massie's room, dark and silent, and the door was open a crack. Placing one hand on the wall and one on the door, Claire tried to not wake Massie. Once she entered the room, she dropped to the ground, crawling toward Massie's nightstand. "Please be there, please be there," she murmured. Carefully, she stood up.

Good news: the iPhone was sitting right there it its sparkly purple case, just waiting to be stolen. Bad news: Massie was sleeping not two inches away from the device. Biting her lip, Claire reached over, grabbed the phone, and spun back around, all in one fluid motion. Then she noticed a white, faceless figured in the corner of the room, wearing the latest designer ensembles. She shrieked.

She tried to hush her voice halfway through, but too much noise had already been released. Massie sat up and brushed the hair out of her face, swiveling her head this way and that. Claire dropped to the floor like a ninja, wishing desperately that she had thought to wear black instead of her pumpkin-orange fluffy pants and gleaming white tank top from Justice.

"What's going on?" Massie slurred, almost incomprehensibly.

Claire didn't know whether she should soothe her, and act like she was a figment of Massie's imagination if she was ever asked about it, or stay low and sneak away. But what if Massie got up? Her heart pounding, she scooted forward an inch at a time. Every second Massie looked away, she'd move that much closer to the door. After what seemed like an eternity, Claire was able to get out of the room and halfway down the stairs. It was only after she was almost to the back door that she realized she had to return Massie's phone to her. Crap, _crap_, CRAP!

Later, the irony of the situation would strike her, but right now, she rolled her eyes and snuck back up the stairs. She was becoming more relaxed now as sunlight began streaming through the windows. Quickly, she sat down, scrunched herself against the wall, and booted up the iPhone. No passcode, thank God. She scrolled through Massie's contacts, hoping to find someone whose name began with A. There was only one: Alicia Rivera. That was it. She copied down her number onto a scrap of paper, made it in and out of Massie's room, and was back out the door before anyone saw her. Mission accomplished.

She wasn't expecting anyone to be awake before 6:30 in the morning, so she was shocked when a tiny creature apprehended her as she was halfway through the door. "What are you doing?" asked Todd.

Claire almost screamed. "Taking a walk," she improvised, trying to pass her brother.

He blocked her. "And what were you doing taking a walk before sunrise?" he asked coyly, trying to imitate a secret agent he'd once seen on TV.

"I couldn't sleep," she lied. How did she get out of this one? She considered making a break for it, but that would only make her parents angry when Todd ran upstairs to complain to them ('She trampled my pinkie toe!'). Finally, she decided to walk over to the kitchen cupboard and be a responsible big sister. Her parents couldn't possibly be mad at her for making herself and her brother breakfast. Yawning, she removed two plastic bowls, one purple and one red. Sleep-deprived and ready to fall right back into bed, Claire began makng a mental list of the things she still needed to do. Sneaking into Massie's room was only Part 1.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
MASSIE'S ROOM  
6:39 AM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

Massie rolled over and stretched luxuriously, then reached for her phone, which she dropped.

Bean sniffed, then ran over and started barking. "Yap! Yapyapyapyapyap!"

"Shh!" Massie reached down to silence her pug. "Don't wake up Mommy." She snatched her phone when Bean was distracted, surprised to see it was already on. "I could have sworn I turned this off," she muttered. "Oh, well."

After playing a couple of rounds of Subway Surfers, her guilty pleasure, she put the iPhone down and got out of bed. She walked over to the Massiequin, examining her outfit first from afar, then close up. She loved it from any distance. She took off her pajamas and put on a chocolate-colored cowl-neck top that she'd purchased straight from Vogue, along with dark wash Miss Me jeans. Soft, calf-length boots with ankle-buckles stood at attention. Lovingly, Massie slid them on. She tucked her phone into her back pocket, angling it perfectly so everyone could see it.

She slid on a brown link bracelet by Anne Klein, tightening it so it almost cut off her circulation. Then she added silver hoop earrings. She posed, trying to look natural and stunning at the same time, and achieved it the way no one else could. She left her thick, chestnut hair down and stick-straight, with medium-volume, a sleek, sophisticated look that she loved. Massie Block was ready to start the day.

**RIVERA MANSION  
DRIVEWAY  
8:48 AM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

Alicia was feeling extraordinarily beautiful today. A rose-colored off-the-shoulder pale pink dress came down to her kneecaps, clinging tightly to her legs. Flat white strappy sandals from Gucci showed off her matching nail polish. A thin white bracelet was on her wrist, and a thin white belt was tight around the hem of the dress. A white flowered headband stood out against her raven hair, which was pulled up in a messy-on-purpose bun. Her OPI-manicured hands clutched her white iPhone 4S, which was vibrating and playing Glamorous by Fergie. She glanced down.

**CLAIREBEAR: Alicia?  
HOLAGURRL: That's me. Who r u?  
CLAIREBEAR: i'm Claire. i live in Massie's guesthouse.  
HOLAGURRL: What do u want?  
CLAIREBEAR: Actually, i think we both want the same thing.  
HOLAGURRL: ?  
CLAIREBEAR: 2 get back at Massie. Duh.  
HOLAGURRL: i can get revenge by myself.  
CLAIREBEAR: If u say so. Call me if u want me 2 do nething.  
HOLAGURRL: U hate her enuf 2 b at my beck-and-call?  
CLAIREBEAR: Yup.  
HOLAGURRL: Fine. U want 2 cum over 2 my house after skl?  
CLAIREBEAR: Sounds good. TTYL!**

Alicia dropped her phone into the pale-pink Chloe clutch she was gripping too tightly. Revenge was going to be theirs. And it was going to be sweet.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
STUDY HALL  
8:51 AM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

Kristen's mom had dropped her off early, not trusting her enough to catch the bus alone. For the past half-hour, Kristen was supposed to be studying for a science test, but she'd spent the time finishing up the modeling form. She knew exactly what she wanted to wear, but the problem was expressing it without sounding like a baby. Massie and Dylan probably knew all about proper fashion names and brands and designers. Kristen barely had an idea what a bubble skirt was.

After struggling through picking designers and fabrics and accesories, she signed the form with a flourish and put it back in its envelope. She was just about to seal it when she realized that her mom was going to have to sign the paper too. And Mrs. Gregory would never let Kristen participate in a fashion show. She barely let Kristen out of the house by herself, let alone having her picture on international television, courtesy of the Daily Grind. No way.

She gathered her hair to one side of her neck and leaned her elbow on the table. What to do, what to do? Could she fake the signature? She'd gotten used to forging it; her mother never let her go on field trips. She wasn't afraid of anyone finding out. But what if that was the night her mother chose to watch the Daily Grind? Or what if, for some bizarre reason, her mother was _at_ the fundraiser? But that was a chance she had to take. She penned in Marsha Gregory's name in the neat cursive hand of her mother. Then she licked the envelope and closed it before she had any second thoughts.

Picking up her books, she waved good-bye to the teacher and left the otherwise empty classroom. As she strolled through the halls toward her locker, she was lost in thought, trying to calculate how possible it would be for her mother to find out about this. But there were too many unknown variables. Kristen shook the list out of her head and decided to let fate take its course. She'd know, one way or the other, soon enough.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
AP MATH  
9:02 AM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

Cautiously, Dylan approached her teacher's desk. She hid her phone between two folders, wedged in her binder, and said, "Miss Pizzano?"

"Yes, Dylan? How is the tutoring going?"

"Yeah, that's the problem," she said. "I have modeling lessons every day after school and on Saturdays. I don't really have time to study."

"Well, Dylan, that _is_ a problem." For a second, she thought the young woman might be sympathetic, but she was wrong. "Wouldn't you say math is more important than strutting down a runway?"

"No," replied Dylan before she had a chance to think. She tried to shut her mouth, but not fast enough.

"I do not tolerate disrespect," the teacher snapped. "I expect you at detention this afternoon until 3:30, and I don't want to hear any excuses about "modeling.""

Dylan shook her head, her red tendrils framing her face. She was in too deep now to get out, but she couldn't skip out on Massie and Kristen, not after how Alicia had gotten kicked out so easily. What would happen if she just didn't show up? Especially if it was her own show.

Dylan closed her eyes, sat down, and counted to three, wishing desperately that it was all a bad dream. She didn't wake up, but she did make her desicion. She couldn't go to detention.

It was just too bad for her permanent record.


	15. Naughty, Naughty

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
LOBBY  
2:47 PM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

Furtively, Dylan glanced around. She was pretty sure no one was secretly stalking her to make sure she went to detention, but she wasn't taking any chances. She joined a group of girls who were giggling and comparing eyeshadow colors, and slid out into the glaring sun, where she joined Massie and Kristen.

"What took you so long?" Massie demanded, shielding her eyes from the sun. She pulled a pair of giant Coco Chanel sunglasses out of her buttery leather Cole Haan purse. It was the same exact shade as her hair.

"I was trying to avoid Miss Pizzano," hissed Dylan, still on her guard. "She was on bus duty today."

"So?"

Dylan wondered why she was answering back to Massie when it was her mother who was hosting the show. Well, not really, but it was her mother who was in charge of the models, which put her as second-in-command. "She gave me detention," Dylan explained. "Come on." She led the way toward the cars in the pick-up line.

"So..." Kristen was about to say something, but Dylan broke in.

"Ehmagawd, there she is, there she is, walkwalkwalkwalk_walk_!" She sped up, Massie and Kristen right on her tail. She jumped into the passenger seat, closed the door, and right after her friends got in, yelled, "Step on it, Lloyd!"

"Yes, _ma'am_," he replied, trying to hide a smile as he pressed the accelerator and pulled out into traffic. "Now, would anyone like to tell me what's going on?"

Dylan glanced at her friends, who were staring back at her, as though saying, 'You got yourself into this mess, you can get yourself out.'

"I'll pass!" she said.

**RIVERA MANSION  
FOYER  
2:51 PM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

"Thank you," Claire said to Alex.

He nodded. "My pleasure," he replied in an extreme Spanish accent.

"That's about the only English he knows," Alicia giggled, leading the way up the curving stairs to her room.

Claire looked around her. Everything was breathtaking. The walls were painted gold, literally _gold_. The only other color in the house was black: black marble, black granite, black tile on the floor. Very sophisticated. "I love your place!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks." Alicia looked bored. "My mom's getting it redone."

"Why?" she demanded.

"She gets sick of designs after a few months." Alicia shrugged. "My dad feels bad cuz she had to give up her modeling career. She was uber-famous in Spain."

"Really?" Claire said politely. "Wow." She tried to picture having a famous mother, but couldn't. "That's uber-cool." She tried to mimic Alicia's way of talking, but it came out immaturely.

Soon, the stairs leveled out. Up here, everything was deep, burgundy red with expensive gold accents. "This is my wing," explained Alicia. "I get to decorate it however I want."

Claire raised her eyebrows. "Oh," was all she could think of. She was having trouble absorbing this. How rich could one person get? She didn't think even the Blocks were this wealthy. Then again, she'd never been invited into the screening room, the bowling alley, or any of the seven cabanas lining the back of the Block house.

"This is my room." Alicia entered first, sitting down on a plush beanbag chair.

"Cool." Claire didn't think she could be any more intimidated. Her meter was full. "So you wanna talk about Massie and Co.?"

"That Pretty Commitee," Alicia dismissed them with a wave and a smirk. "So anyway, the plan is..."

**MARVIL MANOR  
THIRD-FLOOR HALLWAY  
3:02 PM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

Discreetly, Massie arched her back and turned her head slightly. She'd been stuck in the same position for fifteen minutes already, being poked and prodded and yelled at by Aimee. "Stop moving!" the stylist shouted impatiently. She was taking hundreds of pictures with the Vivitar camera she'd pulled out of the Kelly Moore custom bag. She ran over and positioned Massie's hand on her hip so that all five of her pale gold manicured nails were visible. She played with Massie's locks so that the ends were right where she wanted them, and yanked her earrings out of the sheet of hair that was hiding them. "Dreamily into the distance!" yelled Aimee. "Not at me, May-sie!"

She'd had it. "My name is not May-sie!" she hollered equally as loud. "It's _Massie_!" She dropped her hand off her hip, glaring at her friends. Kristen was hiding a grin behind her non-manicured nails, and Dylan wasn't even bothering. "How about you try?" she asked the ginger snottily.

"Fine." Dylan marched up to Aimee, who personalized Dylan's pose: left hand on hip, fingers splayed out; right hand in the air, gymnast fingers; eyes narrow, looking over her left shoulder; left hip jutted out; left foot turned perpendicular to her right.

"Hold," she ordered, and began clicking.

Massie stood with Kristen and watched the torturted look on Dylan's face spread from her eyes to her mouth. Her whole body stiffened. "I can't hold this anymore," she said breathlessly. "Sorry."

Kristen stood in true Kristen-model form: simple but attractive. With her arms folded over her nonexistent breasts and a small smile on her face, Kristen was the Golden Girl. She held the pose until Aimee proclaimed, "This was what we were looking for, gals."

Massie and Dylan shook their heads. "Sorry."

"Can we do the exciting part now?" Kristen begged, massaging her thigh. "Let's go look at my dress."

**RIVERA MANSION  
ALICIA'S ROOM  
3:07 PM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

Claire had been picked up by an embarassingly stunned Judi Lyons fifteen minutes ago, and Alicia still hadn't started with her job. She sat at her open laptop, gazing thoughtfully at the screen. A little while ago, the plan hadn't seemed good enough, but now it seemed too much, too desperate. Massie would know right away that this whole thing was directed at her, and Alicia and Claire would become the laughingstocks of OCD, desperate and friendless.

**HOLAGURRL: 4get it, Kuh-laire, this is ridiculous.**

In a few minutes, Claire returned the message.

**CLAIREBEAR: i thought u wanted to take Massie down.  
HOLAGURRL: i do, but i don't want 2 seem like a...  
CLAIREBEAR: LBR?  
HOLAGURRL: What's that?  
CLAIREBEAR: This thing i made up. It stands 4 Loser Beyond Repair.  
HOLAGURRL: That's sumthing Massie would like. U know what?  
CLAIREBEAR: What?  
HOLAGURRL: While we work on the plan, we can spread the word that Massie's an LBR, but we'll make sure no1 tells her what it means. And 1 day, when u guys pass each other, u can just mention casually 2 whoever's walking next 2 u that LBR means Loser Beyond Repair.  
CLAIREBEAR: Alright...**

Satisfied, Alicia put away her phone and began to type.

**MARVIL MANOR  
DYLAN'S ROOM  
3:13 PM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

Kristen looked around Dylan's room for her dress. She couldn't afford the fancy designers that the other girls wore on regular basis, but thankfully, she didn't have to pay for this. She had put down the exact dimensions for her dream dress on the form, and when Aimee dramatically threw Dylan's closet doors open, she saw the same picture that she had been thinking of.

It was along the lines of Alicia's dress: a baby-blue Nicole Miller outfit that matched her eyes perfectly. Strapless and miniskirted, it wasn't Kristen-like at all. But she loved it. It came with very low pumps, maybe half-an-inch. A thin black bracelet was on the maniquin's wrist, and a matching belt was around the waist. A statement black-and-gold necklace finished off the look.

"You have to do makeup also," Massie told Kristen bossily.

"Okay," she agreed dreamily.

Aimee pulled a portable makeup kit out of her bag. From the outside, it looked like nothing much, especially compared to the flood of makeup that had occupied Dylan's room before, but when Aimee undid the latches there were layers and layers of all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes, all beautiful.

One assistant unrolled Kristen's poster and thumbtacked the four corners to a wall, leaving head-of-a-pin-sized holes. Another woman went to work her magic on the Macs. Soon, Kristen was done up like nobody's business. In heavy eyeliner, nude lip gloss, and charcoal fingernails, she looked amazing. Once again, Aimee had worked her magic.


	16. Par-tay!

**RIVERA MANSION  
ALICIA'S ROOM  
11:37 PM  
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012**

Alicia clicked on one last layout, her mind groggy with sleep. She still hadn't found the perfect design, and she and Claire were planning on having the party in just two short weeks. The invitations had to be out tomorrow, or they might as well not be doing anything. The crackling robin's-egg-blue background was perfect. Classy, but sassy. Now she was wide-awake. Massie Block may have her talents, but no one could plan a party quite like Alicia Rivera. Without worrying about the time, Alicia fired off a text to Claire.

**HOLAGURRL: i found the perfect invitations!**

She added a picture and pressed send.

**CLAIREBEAR: Gr8! I luv them! Now i'm going back 2 bed. Stop interrupting my beauty sleep. :O**

Grinning, Alicia filled in their information on the invites. Inside a sparkly blue border with an off-white center, they said:

**IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS INVITATION, YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN INVITED TO THE COOLEST BACK-TO-SCHOOL PARTY OF THE YEAR! BE THERE, OR BE SQUARE! YOU DON'T WANT TO BE AN LBR! (LOSER BEYOND REPAIR, BUT DON'T TELL MASSIE BLOCK!)**

_Hosted by: Alicia Rivera and Claire Lyons.  
At: 1886 Lakeland Boulevard (The Rivera Mansion)  
4:00 PM on September 24, 2012  
DON'T BE AN LBR!_

Happily finished, Alicia pulled out a calculator and commenced figuring out how many people there were in the sixth grade. Let's see, about 150 girls, and about 80 of them would be invited...

There was a loud knock on her door. Alicia slammed her laptop closed, snapped her fingers to turn off the light, and dove into bed, pretending to be fast asleep. The door swung open. "No te metas conmigo, Alicia Rivera! Sé que estás despierto!" snapped her mom.

Alicia closed her eyes tightly and burrowed deeper under the covers, pretending she was dreaming. 'Go away, go away, go away,' she prayed. 'I will never stay up this late again.' Ally Rivera was ruthless.

"Esto no se ha acabado! Vamos a tener una reunión familiar mañana sobre el respeto y la honestidad!" her mother said loudly. She left, letting the door slam behind her.

Alicia sat up, wiping sweat from her brow. Phew. Crisis diverted, at least until morning.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
MASSIE'S ROOM  
6:46 AM  
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012**

Massie woke up to Bean jumping on her head. She tore at her hair, probably ripping chunks out. "Go away!" shouted Massie, swatting at her dog with a feathery lavender down pillow. "Shoo!"

Bean barked disapprovingly and flopped off the bed, sliding down to the floor. She whimper-growled, curling up defeatedly on the white shag carpet. Massie jumped over Bean and walked cautiously over to her mirror, expecting to see half her hair missing. "Thank God," she whispered when she saw that her head didn't look like a bird's nest.

Then she approached her Massiequin. It was supposed to hit 75 degrees today, so she'd picked out forest-green True Religion denim shorts with a fringed hem and paired it with a white Alexander McQueen crop top. A white belt slid through the loops on her shorts. Between the bottom and top, a good three inches of perfectly tanned, toned abs showed, a result of long hours in booths, praying her skin didn't turn orange, and the 45 crunches she forced herself to do every night. On her feet were green-and-white zebra-print Havaianas. Simple, fun, free, but cute. She flipped her hair over her head and bent, brushing out the bottom of her hair until it was 100% knot-free. She gazed at herself in the mirror for a while, debating a trim, but decided against it and rushed downstairs.

"Mom?" she called, peering into the dining room.

"Over here!" Kendra was sitting on the couch, watching the Daily Grind on the Plasma flat-screen. "What are you wearing, sweetheart?" she asked.

"Clothes," Massie replied confusedly. She stared at her mother.

"Are you sure they'll let you wear that in school?" she wondered skeptically, her mouth twisting into something like a grimance. It was hard for her to make faces, especially since she'd just had a Botox treatment.

"It'll be fine," Massie shrugged, turning away.

"You know, Mass, I'm not sure I'm completely comfortable with you wearing that. I believe in free fashion choices as much as the next woman, but I don't think that's apropriate for a sixth-grader." She shook her head, making her feather-and-bead earrings swing against her high cheekbones. "No, honey, go change."

"But Mom..." she whined. Her fashion choices had never before been criticized by Kendra. "How would you like if you came in and I told you you couldn't wear what you picked out?"

"I'm the adult." Kendra almost never used this dangerous tone. "_Go change_."

Massie knew a hopeless cause when she saw one. Grumbling incomprehensiby, she trudged back upstairs, thumping the floor with every step.

When she got back into her room, she stripped off her top and put on a gray sequined tunic she'd found at Neiman Marcus and kept on her shorts. Not an amazing outfit, but it would do. She tossed on purple flats, bangles, and studs, and hoped she'd pass like this for a day.

"Much better," commented Kendra when Massie returned. She said nothing.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
LIFE SCIENCE  
8:58 AM  
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012**

Trying to summon her inner Massie, Claire stood up straight and spoke loudly. She was wearing her most Massie-like outfit: navy short shorts from Hollister, a white cami, and an extremely small royal blue top that she hoped could pass for cropped. She also had on a cheap black charm bracelet, made of the same consistency as barbed wire, and black patent-leather flats.

"Excuse me," she announced. Lightly, she tapped the girl nearest her on the arm with dark blue nails, done by Judi.

From the back, the girl looked blonde, bubbly, and a lot of fun, but facing her head-on, she resembled a killer shark. "Hi, um, Kelsey?" she asked.

"Claire," she said graciously. "Alicia Rivera and I are throwing a party in a couple of weeks." The one thing she'd learned from Massie was to leave before someone had the chance to say no. "Just think about it, okay?" She shoved an invitation into the girl's hand, gave one to her friend, and turned on her heel, power-walking away.

She breathed out, closed her eyes for a second, and opened them. "Hey, my friend and I are throwing a party next weekend.."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
ORCHESTRA  
9:31 AM  
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012**

During second period, Dylan ran into Claire going through the orchestra-room door. She was actually a little jealous. The native Orlandian was amazing at viola, and Dylan thought the Most Promising Sixth-Grader award would be hers in the bag. Guess not.

Before Claire could see who she was talking to, she pulled an invite out of her Hello Kitty tote bag, the only one she could find. "Hey..." The girl turned around. Claire choked.

"What's up?" Dylan kept herself friendly and casual. It wasn't Claire's fault that she was a good violist.

Claire tried to figure out Alicia's style of handling this. But she didn't even have to think. She knew. "Would you like to come to Alicia's and my party? We're having one at her place in two weeks. But it's Top Secret," she cautioned. "Only the coolest of the cool know about it. So don't tell anyone."

Dylan held in a laugh. Coolest of the cool? _Claire_? Yeah, right. But then again, nothing was wrong with a party. And _Alicia _was helping. Second only to Massie, Alicia _was_ the coolest of the cool. She accepted the invitation. "I'll think about it," she promised with a smile. She plopped down in her seat and took out her cello. It was bigger than she was.

After settling in, she placed the note in the small Louis Vuitton purse she carried everywhere. She'd read it at lunch.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:05 AM  
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012**

Kristen beat both Massie and Dylan to the cafe. After picking up a grilled-cheese sandwich, she settled into Table 20. If she was either of the other girls, she'd have pulled out her cell and texted someone, but Kristen's parents couldn't afford anything but the crappiest of pagers, which barely managed to choke out emergency numbers. Finally, someone else joined her.

"Hey, girlie," she was greeted by an excited Dylan.

"What's up?"

"Look at this." She pulled up a chair next to Kristen, straddled it the wrong way, and pulled out the invite. "It's for a party. Claire's hosting it with you-know-who."

"Who?" she asked in true Kristen fashion.

"Alicia!" whisper-hissed Dylan. Even after only a little more than a week in Massie's company, she'd learned that an ex-member was never discussed.

"A _party_?" said Kristen, as though she'd never heard the word before_. _

"Yes, Kristen, a _party_." Dylan rolled her eyes and slipped out the piece of paper, tossing the envelope to the side. After reading it, her face paled.

"Uh-oh," she and Kristen muttered at the same time, looking at each other. "What do we do now?"


	17. To Go, or Not to Go?

**MARVIL MANOR  
JAIME'S ROOM  
3:01 PM  
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012**

Dylan had chosen the nicer middle sister to confide in. "Jaime?" she'd called, knocking on her door.

"Uh-huh?" her sibling grumbled. Dylan took that as a polite 'Come in!', so she entered and sat on her bed. Jaime was at her desk, staring perplexedly at a math book that lay open in front of her.

"Could you help me with something?"

Jaime was all too happy to focus on something else. She slammed the cover closed, dumped the workbook on top of her Adidas backpack, and looked up at Dylan. "What's wrong?" she inquired, seeing her sister's face.

"I kind of have a problem," she began. Seeing Jaime's encouraging face, she said, "I have an uber-popular friend." Jaime nodded and rolled her eyes. Dylan plowed on. "Let's say her name is X. I was modeling with her and Y. But Y sucked at modeling, so X kicked her out of our entire group (which was only a little unfair), and asked Z to model, which she did. But now Y is hosting a party with, um, A, and she specifically told me not to tell anybody, but especially not Ma-." Quickly she corrected herself. "X. I was kind of preoccupied, though, so it slipped out and I told Z, but that doesn't matter. I just don't know if I should go to the party, or what."

Jaime smiled slightly. "Who are you loyal to?" Dylan shrugged, crinking her eyebrows bemusedly. "Fine, who do you like better?"

"I don't really know either of them that well," she pointed out. "And not only that, X is sick of Y and absolutely can't stand A. I happen to think that she's being really mean to them, but that's just my opinion," Dylan added quickly.

"Honestly, if you think X is being mean to Y and A, and all they have been is perfectly nice to you, I think you should do what they say, not tell X, and go to the freaking party. It's one small event. What can she do to you?" Massie could do a lot, but Dylan didn't say so.

"I guess you're right," she answered instead. "Thanks, J."

"Don't mention it, Dyl," she replied. "Always happy to help the little sis."

They smiled at each other, and Dylan left, gently closing the door behind her so that none of Jaime's prized sports plaques fell off. She'd been ignored by her sister for months last year because she'd slammed the door in a fit of anger and one dropped, shattering on the floor. Jaime had been ready to kill her.

Dylan had taken her sister's advice. She was going to that party, she wasn't saying anything to Massie, and that was the end. No looking back, no regrets.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
3:24 PM  
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012**

Claire pulled out her old Samsung Flight and saw that there was a message from Alicia.

**HOLAGURRL: How many invitations did u hand out?  
CLAIREBEAR: About 30. i think i got 3/4 of my list done.  
HOLAGURRL: Great job!  
CLAIREBEAR: BTW, 1 of those peeps waz Dylan Marvil, Massie's friend.  
HOLAGURRL: Y would u do that? U know she'll tell Massie! God, Kuh-laire, that was stupid.  
CLAIREBEAR: IDK, she looked pretty excited. And i told her if she wanted to come, she could ****_not_**** tell Massie. i made it uber-clear. And she's uber-kool, 2.  
HOLAGURRL: If u say so. But it doesn't matter, the show must go on. **

It must indeed.

**PINEWOOD APARTMENTS  
KRISTEN'S ROOM  
4:26 PM  
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012**

Kristen, after checking and re-checking all her homework, lay on her bed, thinking over the invitation. If Dylan was going, she'd go with her. Standing up to Massie would be easy compared to her mother's wrath if she found out her only child was going to a party, especially a blasting one that would most likely take place late into the night at a gigantic mansion. And the icing on the cake was that Mrs. Gregory didn't know a single person hosting it. Other than Dylan, Alicia, and barely Claire, Kristen didn't even know anyone who would be there. She'd have to sneak out.

She took out a piece of looseleaf from her too-organized binder and wrote 'PARTY' on the top in huge letters. Then she sat down to think. How could she possibly get her mom out of the house for long enough that she could leave, and then not have her mother notice she was gone?

All of a sudden, her ice-blue eyes lit up. She grabbed a pen, and began scribbling as fast as she could.

**RIVERA MANSION  
ALICIA'S ROOM  
4:30 PM  
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012**

Alicia had been thinking about the party since Alex picked her up at school. She'd already told Ally, who'd been eager to help. Her mother had lined up an ace party planner, Landon Dorsey, who she'd heard Massie talking about just the other day. Dylan had agreed that she was amazing, and was name-dropping like nobody's business as she bragged about the various Daily Grind fundrasiers Landon had put together.

Alicia crossed everyone off the guest list who'd been invited. Just as she was about to log onto the computer and check her e-mail, her phone rang. "Hey, it's Alicia," she greeted the other person.

"It's Marissa Marks? I'm, like RSVPing for your party?" She had a sassy but cute voice.

Alicia could barely contain a cheer, but kept her cool. "Are you asking me, or telling me?"

"Telling, obviously." Alicia realized too late that Marissa must be one of those people who always sounded like they were asking a question. "So anyway, I'm calling to say that I'll be there, and so will Jess Montson and Vanessa Birch?"

"Great." She wrote in three check-marks. "Thanks, Marissa. Can't wait for you guys to come!"

"Bye." There was a click, and the line went dead. Then it went off again.

Alicia took calls for an hour, and after making the sixteenth check, she was ready to jump for joy. Only the first day of handing out invitations, and already sixteen people were coming. Hell, yeah!

**HOLAGURRL: 16 peeps r coming!  
CLAIREBEAR: That's gr8! And it's only the 1st day.  
HOLAGURRL: Exactly. C u 2morrow!  
CLAIREBEAR: C ya!**

**WESTCHESTER MALL  
JUICY COUTURE  
5:13 PM  
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012**

Kendra had already spent close to $300 on her daughter in only two hours. Massie was grateful, but the last thing on her mind was thanking her mother. There was a rumor going around school about a back-to-school party. If it was true, why hadn't she been invited? If it was a dork party, then it wouldn't be this big. Something had to be going on, and Massie didn't like not knowing about it.

Just then, a trio of girls passed her. She vaguely recognized them from OCD, but she didn't know if they were in sixth grade. But she decided to take a chance. Massie Block was not one for being shy. Positioning herself in front of them, Massie bent down to tie her Coach designer sneaker. One of the girls kicked her in the back with her pointy Jimmy Choo.

"Ehmagawd!" she cried. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," said Massie with a smile. With a quizzical expression, she said, "Do I know you from somewhere? School, maybe?"

"I'm in sixth grade at OCD," the girl replied. "My name's Jessica Montson."

"I'm Massie Block. I go to school with you, apparently."

The girl visibly recoiled. "Hi," she said uncomfortably. "Look, we're meeting my mom in five minutes at the food court. We'd better get going." She half-grinned at Massie, then turned with her friends and left her standing there.

Kendra was already fifty feet away, and now so were the girls in the other direction. Massie stood, staring after them, feeling desperate, alone, friendless, and ready to cry. What was going on?


	18. Dishonesty and Deception

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
DROP-OFF LINE  
9:01 AM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Massie was running late, and it was _not_ to be fashionable. She had woken up after seven, dragged herself out of bed, and ate breakfast as though in a race- for who could be the slowest. She had been thinking about the strange encounter with Jessica Montson at the mall. Although she barely knew the girl, Jess had treated her like she was a slimy bug she couldn't wait to squash with her Jimmy Choo. Literally.

"What's going on?" Massie asked herself. She made a mental note to find out.

She grabbed her bag, and leapt out out of the limo, holding her head high. She would not let this faze her.

As she walked into school, she kept an ear open for any out-of-place murmurings or hissings as she walked past, and they were everywhere. And the only thing she could make out was, "Massie Block: LBR."

'LBR?' she wondered. 'What's that?' But from the way her fellow students were saying it, she had a strong feeling it wasn't a good thing.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
AP MATH  
10:28 AM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Alicia tore through the classroom, her white-silk Gucci wrap flying behind her, in a desperate attempt to sit next to Claire, and look cool and collected by the time Layne came in to take her usual seat. She succeeded.

Layne arrived and stated forcefully, "This is my area." She gestured to the air around Alicia. "What are you doing here?" She looked to Claire for support, but the blonde said nothing; just watched the scene play out.

"Now this is my seat." Alicia had more natural confidence than Massie ever would.

"You can sit here," Claire offered, patting the desk on the other side of her.

"No, Kuh-laire, no she can't," Alicia broke in hurriedly. "We have private matters to discuss."

Claire smiled apoligetically. She might feel more comfortable with Layne than Alicia, but the girl next to her was much more popular, and right now, that was what Claire cared about. So what if she was digging a hole too deep for her to ever climb out of?

Once again, Layne looked at Claire for help. She didn't give it.

"Whatever." Layne left.

"Did you start the rumors?" whispered Alicia, grinning.

"Yeah," replied Claire.

"Good, me too," said Alicia. They high-fived. Everything was working out perfectly.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
AP MATH  
10:34 AM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012  
**

Claire couldn't wipe the enormous smile off her face. She'd just had a real, honest-to-God _conversation_ with a popular girl. Not just popular, someone who could practically rule, right after Massie, who would soon be nothing. And everyone had seen it. Even Layne was glaring at them enviously, she noted with satisfaction.

Her adrenaline rush enabled her to get 14 out of 15 of her math questions right, which earned her a 93 and an A. She tucked the paper into her hot pink folder depicting a kitten curled up with its mother and ran out of the classroom when the bell rang. Her first thought was to sit at her normal lunch table so she could tell Layne, Kori, and Coral, whose dearest ambition was to die her hair red, all about her encounter with Alicia, but she kind of figured Layne wasn't speaking to her, and she knew the others wouldn't really care. Plus, she had to sit with Alicia anyway.

She strolled through the back hallways toward the cafe, where she knew Alicia would be waiting. Somehow, the girl she assumed was her friend always seemed to disappear the second the bell chimed.

She grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza and smacked her paper plate onto a tray, along with a bottle of Vitamin Water and a small chocolate-chip brownie wrapped in plastic. Then she approached Alicia, who was sitting with two other girls. As she got closer, she saw that they were Kristen and Dylan.

"We won't tell Massie," Claire heard Dylan agree with a note of exasperation in her voice. "We already told you that."

"Just making sure!" Alicia's hair, which she'd done in waves today, hung down her back. Today it was accented with a red barette, which was holding a tight little braid in place and appeared to twist and turn whenever she moved, although it never ended up out of place. Then she spotted Massie entering the cafe. "Go be good girls now!" She placed a hand on each of theirs. "But don't forget our little secret."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:10 AM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Kristen knew Massie was having a bad day when she stomped inside, head down, angry.

"What's wrong?" asked Dylan, trying to sound concerned and failing. Both girls knew what was up.

Massie turned her gaze toward Dylan and turned the anger in her eyes up a notch. "Thanks for caring," she muttered, sitting down and taking out her phone. "Great friend."

Kristen clenched her teeth together, waiting silently for Massie's next sentence. When it came, it was a relief.

"It's not you," her friend sighed, rebuttoning her black DKNY skinny jeans to give herself a few moments to breathe. Although she was a size 1, she liked to pretend, even to herself and her mother, who didn't know otherwise, that she was a 0, and the problem with that was being forced into outfits that were just a little tight. She adjusted her hot pink Guess tank top and fixed the sleeves of her BCBG gray fitted blazer. Neon pink Miu Miu pumps added funk to the function. So did matching silver-and-pink-diamond large-stud earrings from Tiffany. "Everyone's been staring at me and whispering, and not in a good way. Do you guys have any idea what's going on?" Her eyes revealed her genuine pain.

What's going on, indeed?

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:23 AM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Noticing that Kristen obviously wasn't planning on answering the question, Dylan jumped in. "They're probably just intimidated. I mean, that outfit is totally dominating," she complimented, changing the subject.

"Thanks, but that's not the vibe I'm getting," said Massie. She hadn't honed her talent of being able to tell when her friends were lying quite yet.

Dylan smiled at Massie, hoping she couldn't see how nervous she was. "It's nothing."

And Massie believed her.


	19. Mean Girls

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CHORUS  
11:46 AM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Massie sat down on the middle row of the bleachers, oblivious to the shit that coated them. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Why was she so tired? But maybe it wasn't physical weariness. Maybe it was emotional. Maybe she was just sick of the drama.

Al_ready_? You're no fun.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
LOBBY  
2:21 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

DYLAN'S POV

Dylan waited with Kristen and Merri-Lee for Massie to show up. The plan had been to pick the the trio up five minutes early so they could beat the flood of girls, and the buses, but traffic had foiled Lloyd, the Marvil driver, and now they were stuck behind everyone, and Massie _still_ wasn't here.

"Where is she?" muttered an annoyed Dylan, tapping her foot faster and faster and glancing at her Cartier watch as though she had a plane to catch. She flipped her rusty locks over her shoulder and examined her reflection in the giant glass doors that were the main entrance and exit to OCD. A short sea-green Ann Taylor ruffled blouse showed off her tanned-even-though-it's-September skin, and a tight white Marc Jacobs lace miniskirt hid her slightly chubby thighs. Black flats matched a Prada handbag that held all the things she couldn't spend a day without: her iPhone, two flavors of Bobbi Brown lipstick, a miniature compact, a pack of Juicy Fruit gum, and in a side pocket, there were at least eight Milky Ways. Only the essentials.

MASSIE'S POV

Finally, Massie showed up, obviously close to crying. "Come on, you guys, let's go." She grabbed Dylan and Kristen's wrists and began pulling them along behind her. The second they got in the limo, she started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Honey, what's wrong?" exclaimed Merri-Lee empathetically. "Come up here." She patted the seat right behind the driver, where she was sitting and watching a segment of that morning's Daily Grind episode on her iPad. She snapped the cover closed, the device clicked off, and she shoved it into her gigantic Michael Kors purse. "Talk to me."

"Nothing," murmured Massie, her eyes still rimmed with red. She rested her forehead against the glass and watched the world go by. She felt extremely sick, like really-might-actually-throw-up nauseous.

Merri-Lee decided to substitute for Kendra by placing a hand on the girl's knee. Eventually, Massie leaned over and dropped her head onto Dylan's mom's shoulder, who, to give credit where credit is due, took it completely in stride that Massie was turning her $850 black-metallic Versace minidress soggy with tears. "Everyone's calling m-me an L-L-LBR a-and I don't know w-what it means a-and-" She'd reached the point where she was crying so hard she couldn't talk. After taking a moment to calm herself, she continued, "p-people are all whispering be-behind my b-back and... st-stuff." No one had ever seen Massie Block lose control this badly.

Merri-Lee turned around, petting Massie's light brown head. "Girls." They looked up guiltily from Dylan's phone. "Do you know what LBR stands for? At least, I think that's what she's saying." Massie nodded vigorously.

Dylan gulped and Kristen stiffened. "N-no," they both choked out. Merri-Lee eyed her daughter suspiciously for a few seconds, but they had already gone back to texting.

"Sorry, Mass," she said quietly. "Maybe you could ask Jay Lyons' daughter. Claire, right? Didn't they move into your guesthouse? That's what your father said."

"Maybe," agreed Massie, though she knew Claire hated her. Then again, she didn't really have another option. No pain, no gain. She pulled out her iPhone.

**MASSIEKUR: Kuh-laire?  
CLAIREBEAR: Hi. Do u need sumthing?  
MASSIEKUR: Yes, actually, i do. Do you know what the word LBR means?  
CLAIREBEAR : Alicia!  
HOLAGURRL: Yeah?  
CLAIREBEAR: She just texted me and asked what LBR means.  
HOLAGURRL: What's going on w/ her?  
CLAIREBEAR: How should i know?  
HOLAGURRL: It doesn't matter. This is golden! Tell her, and b as nasty as u can.  
CLAIREBEAR: If u say so.**

The pain in her gut didn't mean anything, right?

**MASSIEKUR: Kuh-laire?  
CLAIREBEAR: Actually, LBR means Loser Beyond Repair, and i made it up. Bye.  
MASSIEKUR: ?!**

But she got no reply.

**MARVIL MANOR  
FOYER  
2:36 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012  
**

Kristen watched as Merri-Lee inserted her key into the glass front door. Swirling patterns were carved into it, and normally they mesmerized her, as she tried to figure out where they started and ended. But this time, she just followed the star into the house, got into the elevator, and zoomed toward the third floor. Even though it only took a few seconds, Kristen was able to gather her thoughts and untie the knots in her stomach. Was she being a totally bad friend by betraying Massie? Um, yeah. Was she already in too deep to back out? Yes again.

She didn't know what Claire's text had said, but it must have been something bad, because Massie's amber eyes had flashed anger like nothing she'd ever seen, and she'd dropped her phone into the Tommy Hilfiger handbag that was sitting next to her so hard that it slid to the floor and under the seat.

Ding! The doors slid open and Kristen stepped into the corridor, meeting Massie, who must have gone up the stairs. "Hey, Mass," she said breezily like nothing was wrong.

Hi," she replied sullenly, blowing a bubble with her spearmint gum.

Kristen leaned against the wall and watched the wind bend the trees outside to almost 90 degrees. It only took a few awkward moments for Merri-Lee and Dylan to arrive. Before she began rehearsal, Merri-Lee announced, "Since the fundraiser is a little less than three months away, and we have a lot of time, I think you girls deserve a break. For the next two weeks, there will be no lessons, but the Sunday after that, the 29th, I expect you to be here for all-day training. Understood?"

Kristen nodded along with everyone else, but inside she wanted to sing. They wouldn't have to deal with Massie, expect for 45 minutes or so at lunch, until after the party! It was a dream come true.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
2:42 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Claire lounged on the cordouroy couch, watching Todd play with his friend Nathan, a small, frail boy with wire-rimmed glasses. Baby-sitting, especially for her own mother, sucked. Not only did she earn next to nothing, but Judi let Todd invite as many friends as he wanted to the house without even asking Claire. Just so they could go on a date that no one in their right mind would consider romantic.

They'd go watch some cheesy movie at the Jefferson Valley Theater and share a plate of nachos. Then they'd rush home so they would be back in time to make dinner for their kids.

Claire leaned back, sinking into the couch. She dipped a chip into the extra-spicy salsa Judi used to clear her sinuses and thought about Massie. She knew deep down that it was not okay to be this mean to someone just because they'd been a tiny bit exclusive. Two wrongs do not make a right. But then again, Alicia was doing it too, and Dylan and Kristen had both agreed to come to the party, even though they were supposedly friends with Massie. So this couldn't be that bad. Right?

**RIVERA MANSION  
SITTING ROOM  
2:45 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Landon Dorsey rang the doorbell right on time. Alicia was dressed in one of her sixth-grade executive outfits. A red fringe tank top she'd gotten somewhere on Fifth Avenue on a shopping spree with her cousins was paired with dark wash True Religions. A gold Louis Vuitton purse hung from her shoulder, and her red clip from the day before had been exchanged for one of the same color as the bag. Golden hoops shimmered through her straightened hair. On her feet were black flats. She got up to open the door.

"Hi, I'm Alicia Rivera." She held out her hand.

Landon had on an Ann Taylor work suit: a wool skirt and matching jacket, which was tightly buttoned. She was wearing polished black Jimmy Choos. Smiling, she said, "I'm Ms. Dorsey, but you can call me Landon."

Alicia closed the door and led Landon over to the chairs in the corner of the formal room, next to the black marble fireplace. She sat, her legs crossed at the ankles, and watched Landon. "What kind of party is this?" she prompted.

"I'm having a back-to-school bash on the 24th," explained Alicia. "About 80 people, maybe a few more."

Landon made a note. "Outside or inside?"

"Definitely out," Alicia answered quickly. "Unless it's raining, then in, probably in the pool area."

"Indoor pool?" inquired Landon. Alicia nodded. "How late will your mother let this run to?"

"Well, it's a Wednesday night,"Alicia thought out loud, "Probably 11 or so, since it's a party."

Landon raised her eyebrows. "I'll talk to your mother. Are you hosting this with anyone?" she switched gears.

"Yes, Kuh-laire Lyons," replied Alicia.

"Kuh-laire?" repeated Landon, smiling slightly.

"Sorry, Claire," Alicia clarified. "That's what we call her."

"Do you guys want to match?"

"Not exactly; something similar, though."

"I'll see what I can do," finished Landon, standing up. "I'll call you in a few days when I have something put together."

"Thanks," said Alicia, smiling.

"Anytime." And Landon left.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
MASSIE'S ROOM  
3:03 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

"I'm ruined," sighed Massie as she cuddled with Bean. "And so is my Alpha career." She banged her head against the headboard and let the tears flow freely. "Why is everyone throwing a party and talking about me behind my back? What did I ever do to them?" She hadn't imagined this would be a consequence of popularity. "And LBR? _I'm_ supposed to be the one thinking of degrading words for, well, LBRs, not Kuh-laire. This is all her fault. If she had never moved here..." She vented for another few minutes, then sat up and wiped her eyes. "But I will take charge, Bean. This will end up my way, and everyone else _beware_!" With her desicion made, she threw the covers up and called Dylan, unaware that she had gone over to the dark side.

"D-Dylan?" she sniffed into the phone. Her voice was muffled, but Dylan heard her.

"Yeah?" She was cold and caculating.

"What's going on that nobody's telling me?"

Taking a deep breath, the redhead decided that since Massie was going to find out one way or the other, she might as well make it a little easier for her now. "Kristen and I are going to Kuh-laire and Alicia's party. Sorry." She waited for the better part of five seconds, but when Massie didn't respond, Dylan put the phone down with a loud click. Then she called Kristen.

**MARVIL MANOR  
DYLAN'S ROOM  
3:13 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

After dialing Kristen's number, Dylan leaned back against the neon green throw pillows that she'd dropped on her bed and waited for her friend to pick up. When she did, Dylan asked, "Kris?"

"No, this is her mother. May I ask who's calling?" she said in a formal voice.

"Kristen said this is her cell phone." Dylan was confused, and it showed in her voice.

"This is, but I pick up on all numbers that are not in her contacts, just in case someone's stalking her." She literally stated that. If Dylan had been there, she would have been staring at the woman like she had four heads.

"Who would stalk _Kristen_?" slipped out before she could stop herself.

"Who do you think you are?" snapped Mrs. Gregory. "Actually, who are you?"

"Mom!" came a distant voice. Then a door slammed. "Give me that!" There was a static-y pounding, then a lock sliding closed.

"It's me," Kristen moaned in relief. "I love my mom, but sometimes I get so sick of her."

"Don't we all." Dylan's voice was dry. "I just told Massie that we were going to that party."

"I trust your judgment," said Kristen simply. Then the phone disconnected, and Dylan was left staring at a pitch-black screen.


	20. Two Sides of the Story

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:19 AM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Kristen was definitely relieved that she didn't have to pretend to be Massie's friend anymore. She'd never been good at lying, so she'd learned to keep her mouth shut while Dylan did most of the talking, earning her many dirty looks. But now she wasn't afraid to speak, and she was drifting back into the circle of friends.

"You know, we'd be a pretty good clique with Massie," she heard Claire comment.

Alicia looked pissed, but she raised a finger and agreed, "Point."

"She'd be the Alpha," Kristen couldn't help pointing out. "Alicia would be Beta, Dylan would be Gamma, I would be Delta, and Kuh-laire could be Epsilon." She could recite the whole Greek alphabet.

"Point," repeated Alicia. "But right now, I'm Alpha. Ah-greed?"

Everyone nodded. "Where is she?" asked Dylan conversationally.

Alicia shrugged. "Probably crying her poor little eyes out in the bathroom." She raised her glass of sparkling water. "To the Pretty Commitee!"

"The Pretty Commitee!" the others echoed. Then they laughed like maniacs, causing the girls passing by to look at them strangly. They did make a pretty wierd scene: in their perfect designer outfits, excluding Claire and to a certain extent Kristen, snorting milk out of their noses.

But that was the new group: crazy and fun, but at the same time perfectly put-together. The Pretty Commitee. Forming for the first time without their true leader: Massie Block.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
BATHROOM  
11:22 AM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Alicia had been semi-right: Massie was in the powder room, but not crying. She was sitting on a stall bench, with the Notes app on her iPhone open. She was plotting revenge. Alicia might be better at it, but Massie's time, power, and planning made all the difference. But this was an easy realization. There was a party next Wednesday, and she was going to crash it.

Desicion made, she rose and picked up her books and Kate Spade bag. What did she do that made her not look desperate? If she went back to the cafe, that would be impressive x10, but who would she sit with? No, she'd stay here until fifth period, then make a grand entrance in her tight black Armani t-shirt that she'd stolen from her cousin, who, yes, was a boy, but it looked great on her. It was tucked into an Alice&Olivia skirt, which was hot, hot pink with a black lace pattern. Black Burberry platform heels made her legs look long and slim. A charcoal-colored vintage Chanel chain-mail bag finished off the outfit. Cotton Candy Glossip Girl made her lips, which were now curved up in a smile, shine. She was ready. For _anything_.

**PINEWOOD APARTMENTS  
APARTMENT 48  
2:49 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

"What are you doing home?" asked Marsha as Kristen shoved her key into the brass lock.

"No modeling for two weeks," explained Kristen.

Without listening to her, her mom nodded absentmindedly. She closed the door gently so as not to bother the other residents. Then she collapsed in an easy chair, rubbing her feet. "Honey, could you grab me-?"

"Sure." Kristen headed into the kitchen. She knew exactly what her mother wanted: a big bowl filled with hot water to soak her swollen ankles in. Kristen's mother was a waitress, and days on end of walking back and forth, back and forth, wore her out. She was always covered in blisters. "Here, Mom."

She was rewarded with a kind smile. Marsha snatched the bowl and sank her feet into it. It only took a couple seconds of adjusting before her mother leaned back and closed her eyes. "I'll make dinner in an hour." She said that every day, but usually Kristen ended up cooking and serving everyone.

It's a hard-knock life.

**MARVIL MANOR  
MASTER BEDROOM  
3:00 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Dylan lounged on her mother's bed as Merri-Lee painted her toe-nails. "I'm bo-ored," moaned Dylan, pulling out her phone. "There's nothing to do."

"What did you do before modeling?" asked Merri-Lee, going over the nails with a clear coat.

"I don't remember..." Dylan scrolled through her contacts until she found Kristen, who she'd become best friends with lately. "I need a shopping spree," was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

"Well, I'll come," said Kristen, "but I don't think I can buy anything."

"Why not?" Dylan exclaimed.

Kristen couldn't tell the daughter of a billion-dollars-a-year-earning mom that she was on a scholarship. So she improvised. "My mom took away my AmEx."

Dylan had to do something. "I'll pay for $200 worth of crap that you want if you'll come."

"Fine."

"Pick you up at 3:30." She slammed the phone down.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
3:06 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

**CLAIREBEAR: ROTFL!  
HOLAGURRL: IKR  
CLAIREBEAR: i just can't pic Massie at our party. She knows she's not invited. Or wanted.  
HOLAGURRL: Massie will do nething. Beware.**

Couldn't have said it better myself.

**RIVERA MANSION  
ALICIA'S ROOM  
3:10 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Even though all Alicia wanted to do was flop on her bed and play games on her iPhone, Alicia forced herself to pick up her checklist and cross off the 22 people who had RSVP'd in the past hour. Then she glanced at the sketch Landon had e-mailed to her. The theme would be Spanish Fiesta, perfect for her place. Rainbow-colored banners and streamers dangled from the tents that would cover her backyard. She was absolutely in love with the setting. Under the stars, the place would be truly magical. Just like Arabian Nights. Her party would be remember for ages.

Could they really beat out Skye? And if they did, Alicia would be famed as their leader, the party hostess, the big-busted beauty. And Massie would be nothing. She couldn't have planned it better herself. But she had planned it. How could she forget?


	21. Put Your Hands in the Air!

**RIVERA MANSION  
BACKYARD  
7:32 PM  
SEPTEMBER 24, 2012**

"Welcome," Alicia greeted each guest graciously, taking in their Dolce&Gabbana, Donna Karan (even though their asses weren't fat), Prada, Gucci, and Burberry designer dresses. "You look _ah-mazing_." All she had to do was add a big, fake, blinding white smile and she was set. She was going through her ritual monotonically by the time you-know-who arrived.

"Hi, welco- What the _fuck_? What are _you_ doing here? Who invited you?" She looked around. "Kuh-laire!"

The white-blonde-haired girl was at her side in a second. Even though she didn't have enough money to afford designer clothes all the time, she, along with her mother and her grandmother, had splurged for a rosy pink Juicy Couture dress with a high-low hem and a floppy bow. A giant metallic silver purse of her mother's and matching Georgina Goodman heels rocked the party mood. So did a coordinating headband, which was perched perfectly on her head, holding back her straggly bangs. A tiny bit of eyeliner and pale-pink shadow added color to her eyes. Sugar Doughnut Glossip Girl that she'd stolen from Massie's bag plumped her lips. "What?" Even though she looked like a total Alicia-wannabe, she was downright hostile.

"Take a chill pill, Kuh-laire. I just wanted to know if you invited Massie to our party."

"No." Claire looked at Massie as though she was some slug on the bottom of her shoe. "Why _are _you here?"

"Look, Kuh-laire," Massie snapped, "My family was nice enough to take yours in, and I graciously agreed." This was not strictly true, (she had had no say in the matter whatsoever) but she could milk it for what it was worth. "I think you could be nice enough to let me join your party." Massie Block's blackmailing skills were beyond impressive. She raised her voice. "And if you're not going to, I will make sure I tell your mom how ungracious and bratty you are."

Claire's eyebrows shot up. She knew her mom didn't appreciate a tattletale, but she also wouldn't agree with Claire's desicion to diss Massie, no matter how mean she was. "Fine," she said with a sickly-sweet tone and smile. "Come on." She waved her inside and closed the gate.

Massie waited for Claire to do or say something, but she didn't. She just gestured around the area, then disappeared, leaving Massie to her own devices. This was not what she had expected. This was one of those If She Was Alpha moments. If she was Alpha, everyone would be flocking around, gravitating towards her to compliment the brand-new Nicole Miller dress, and inviting her places. But unlike her fantasy, Massie stood all alone.

**RIVERA MANSION  
BACKYARD  
8:09 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

When Claire felt the first droplet of water on her head, she beelined for Alicia. "It's raining," she hissed, as it began to pour.

"No shit, Sherlock," replied Alicia as she climbed onto the table, clapping her hands for attention. "Excuse me!" she hollered at the top of her lungs, trying to make herself heard over the blasting music. Finally, the DJ noticed her and spun a dial, adjusting the volume. Everything got quiet as girls turned to stare at Alicia. "Since it's raining, the party will continue inside at the pool. If you didn't bring your own, there are bathing suits for everyone. Yours to keep!" The crowd cheered and stampeded toward the sliding doors.

Alicia triumphed. She was a success.

**RIVERA MANSION  
INDOOR POOL  
8:13 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Claire watched the party with stunned eyes. Girls were jumping into the pool, leaping out, flipping, giggling, and drinking, maybe not alcohol but Shirley Temples and sparkling pink lemonade. Snacks were littered on all four corner tables. She'd never seen anything like this, except on TV when her parents were gone. And she'd never _ever_ been part of it.

She scanned the room for Massie, making sure she checked ever crack and crevice. Then she edged toward Alicia. "Leesh?" No reply. "Leesh?" No reply. "Alicia!" she yelled.

She glanced around, putting up a hand to halt the conversation she was having with a (in Claire's opinion) slutty blonde. She had peircing blue eyes, unlike Claire's kind ones, and a perfect little nose. "Aren't you supposed to be hosting with me? Go mingle!"

Claire hadn't known she was supposed to. "I was," she fibbed. "But I came to tell you that I can't find Massie anywhere."

"She's somewhere," Alicia dismissed her. "Stop obsessing."

Then she turned away. And once again, Claire is left to play the humble hero.

**PINEWOOD APARTMENTS  
DRIVEWAY  
8:15 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

Dylan knocked loudly on Kristen's apartment door. Her friend flung it open, looking livid. "What the hell took you so long?" she demanded.

"My sister had to be dropped off somewhere in Connecticut at 7:30. I'm sorry!"

"You better be." Kristen slapped the door shut behind her. "Let's go."

"Is your mom here, sweetheart?" asked Merri-Lee. "You might want to tell her you're leaving."

"No, she's not here." Kristen looked nervous. "She knows I'm going to the party."

"If you say so."

They took the elevator to the lobby and ran toward the limo, where Lloyd sat at attention in the driver's seat.

"Let's go!"

And they did.

**RIVERA MANSION  
INDOOR POOL  
8:27 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012  
**

Dylan dropped the heavy copper knocker against the door multiple times, then pounded the doorbell. She didn't appreciate standing out in the rain. Her hair frizzed like nobody's business, and it had taken her stylit, Marc, three hours to do her hair for the party.

"Hola?" a young Spanish woman with a strained expression said questioningly.

Dylan gathered everything she'd learned in fifth-grade Spanish. "¿Dónde es la fiesta?" she tried.

"Las chicas están abajo en la zona de la piscina. Puedes seguirme." Dylan understood none of it. Since the woman turned away but didn't close the door, Dylan and Kristen figured that they were supposed to go with her. So they trailed the woman downstairs and arrived at the pool. Although Kristen spent ten seconds staring at the scene, open-mouthed, Dylan grabbed a bathing suit from the pile of Ralph Lauren bikinis, turned away to change, and was about to dive in when Alicia apprehended her.

"Where were you guys?" she snapped, not sounding angry so much as annoyed. "I wanted to rub you guys in Massie's face."

"Sorry, Ryan and Jaime had somewhere to be," apoligized Dylan.

"So your sisters are more important than you?" said Alicia. "That's not right."

"I know," sighed Dylan, then changed the subject. "But we're so glad to be here. Come on, Kris!" Then they power-walked away. Alicia shook her head, then went back to her conversation with Olivia Ryan.

**RIVERA MANSION  
ALICIA'S ROOM  
8:30 PM  
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012**

After a quick glance around the party to make sure no one was watching her, Massie had slipped away and tiptoed up the steps to Alicia's room. She'd never been to the mansion, so she guessed, but it wasn't hard to find her ex-friend's room. "A-ha!" she whispered as she pushed open the door.

She didn't waste any time taking the room in. She ran to Alicia's bureau, but realized quickly that she probably had her phone with her. So she searched for anything else, something personal, and easy to blackmail her with. Because Massie wanted to be in Alicia's group. And she wanted to be Alpha. And she didn't want to be told no.

And then she found just the thing.


	22. The Pretty Commitee

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
ALICIA'S LOCKER  
8:57 AM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

Massie knew the back-to-school celebration had went roaring forward without her last night, and although she desperately wished she had dealt with Alicia there and gone on to become the life and soul of the party, she knew she was doing the right thing by starting this in private. She waited calmly with her Stella McCartney-covered back against the lockers for Alicia to approach. But when she did, Massie wasn't prepared.

"Are you stalking me?" Alicia demanded, rubbing a teensy bit of errant shadow off the corner of her eye.

"_No_," replied Massie, mortified. "Why would I stalk you?" Before Alicia had the chance to be offended and spout off a nasty comment, she continued, "I want to be part of my group again."

"_Your_ group?" Alicia repeated. "No comprende, señorita."

"Oh, you're gonna understand in a minute, Alicia Rivera," snapped Massie, adding in a sassy neck roll. Then she waved the picture she'd pulled off the wall of her room. Just in case Alicia snatched it, Massie had already made a copy.

"Where did you get that?" Alicia's eyes bugged out unattractively.

"Somewhere," Massie said vaguely.

"Fine." Alicia spun her lock with vicious movements. "You can join the group again."

"And I want to be Alpha."

"I'm the one who made the Pretty Commitee!" Alicia yelled ferociously, then stared around to make sure no one was listening.

"That's beside the point," said Massie evenly, holding up the laminated sheet.

"Fine."

Satisfied, Massie turned on her heel and left. She was walking so quickly that she didn't look where she was going, and bumped right into Kristen.

"Massie," the blonde said coldly.

"Kristen." She regarded her with contempt and a little wariness. "Come sit at Table 20 with me."

"Don't tell me we're going back to the diss Alicia stage, cuz that's just never going to end."

"Nope!" agreed Massie cheerfully. "Alicia's joining us. She's going to be my Beta."

Kristen's face changed immediatly to joy. She threw her arms around Massie, who hugged her back.

Unnoticed, Alicia snapped a picture. In her photos, she tagged it _Lesbians_. But she didn't send it to anyone. Not yet.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SOCIAL STUDIES  
9:06 AM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

Alicia watched Mrs. Parker ramble on with attendance and announcments. They did appear in slideshow form every morning on the SmartBoard, but their teacher seemed to have her own opinion about each one.

She'd decided to sit next to Massie, because she knew the next thing the Alpha could do was kick her out of the group entirely, and blackmailing each other back and forth, back and forth, was a system that never worked. "Mass," she whispered from the corner of her mouth.

"Text me," she mouthed, miming typing on a keyboard, tapping her Pantone-manicured Honey Gold nails against the desk.

Alicia nodded and took her phone out of her Marc Jacobs purse.

**HOLAGURRL: We have 2 look like we're completely friendly. We can't be enemies if we want 2 look like a group.  
MASSIEKUR: Ah-greed.  
HOLAGURRL: And we can't b afraid 2 break sum rules.  
MASSIEKUR: Ur planning sumthing.  
HOLAGURRL: Damn str8. Tell u at lunch.**

Massie dropped her phone into the hidden pocket of her goldenrod Charlotte Russe miniskirt that matched her nails. She couldn't wait.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
ART  
9:32 AM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012  
**

Kristen swung her dark blonde hair behind her head, careful not to touch her tresses with her paint-covered hands. She was wearing more colors than Alicia usually had on her face, and that was saying something.

Her painting of technicolor skies at sunset was coming along nicely, and she was proud of the way she'd blended the pink and orange to create a perfect melody. Smiling, she lowered her brush, took a step back, and glared critically at her work. Maybe it was the way the light was hitting it, but it looked all wrong. The blue of the receding sky clashed horribly with the orange of the lowering sun, and the whole thing looked lopsided, as though a kindergartner had painted it with extra, unnessecary layers. "Kris!" A hand was tapping her on the shoulder, slapping it now. "Kristen!"

"What?" She turned to face the girl who was yelling at her.

"I... really like your painting." Then she slipped away.

"Wow, thanks," Kristen smiled. All of a sudden, she had a whole new appreciation for a simple, small compliment, and vowed to be a nicer person. She couldn't explain it, but she felt almost glowy inside, as though she was floating on clouds. In a few seconds, she turned back to her easel, and looked at her art in a whole new light.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SPANISH  
10:05 AM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

Rolling her eyes, Dylan watched her teacher act out verbs with a couple of LBRs, who had eagerly volunteered for extra credit, not that they needed it.

"Para llevar," she said, gesturing to the SmartBoard and walking in place for a few seconds, Allie and Michelle skipping by her side. "To go."

"Para llevar," the class repeated obnoxiously. "To go."

"Bueno!" they were praised.

Dylan sat back and grinned. Today had turned out to be a pretty good day. She hadn't had any awkward run-ins with Massie, and as far as she knew, no revenge plans were forming. Everything was looking up.

**MASSIEKUR: Hey, Dyl.  
BIGREDHEAD: Massie?  
MASSIEKUR: The 1 and only. ;)  
BIGREDHEAD: What's up?  
MASSIEKUR: i'm the Alpha of the Pretty Commitee now.  
BIGREDHEAD: IDC.  
MASSIEKUR: Neway, we're all sitting 2gether at lunch. Table 20. Come join us.  
BIGREDHEAD: Will do. Bye.  
MASSIEKUR: Luv ya!**

Dylan smiled. Now everything was _exactly _where it belonged.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:00 AM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

Claire was all set to join Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen at their normal table, so she got a bit of a shock when she noticed they were sitting somewhere else. With _Massie_. Hesitantly, she approached them. "Guys?" she asked quietly. When no one acknowledged her, she pulled out a chair and sat down, placing her tray in front of her.

"Hi," said Alicia. She didn't know if she was supposed to be nice or not. They hadn't discussed Claire.

Massie knew everyone was looking to her to see how to handle this. She considered. Could she get away with accepting a commoner into their group? They were new, and so far things weren't going that badly, but they wouldn't be impressive at all if they were just letting anyone in. No one would be intimidated. And what had Claire done to be worthy of the Pretty Commitee's company anyway? "Sorry, Kuh-laire. This table is for GLU's only." Alicia nodded like she had been expecting Massie to say that all along, and for some reason it really pissed her off. She dug her nails into her palm and pretended they were peircing Alicia's beautiful Spanish skin instead. But she wasn't getting into another war, even though she was sure she'd win. "And you're one of them! Welcome to the Pretty Commitee!"

Everyone smiled. Kristen and Claire clinked glasses. Massie and Dylan high-fived. Alicia was quiet, with a faint smirk on her face. Then they all followed Massie's suit as she stood up on her chair, then climbed onto the table. There was an ominous creaking sound, but they ignored it and jumped up and down to attract the girls' gazes.

"Hello!" Massie began loudly. "We are your new clique, the Pretty Commitee!" Massie had never been shy, or one to mince words. "The members are me, the Alpha, of course, the Beta: Alicia Rivera, the Gamma: Dylan Marvil, the Delta: Kristen Gregory, and our Epsilon: Kuh-laire Lyons." She had asked Kristen to teach her the first five letters of the Greek alphabet.

Each girl waved as her name was called. That's how OCD first saw them, beautiful and daring, each in their own way. Just as they were kneeling to come down, the table splintered, then broke. Everyone clapped, laughing appreciatively. They were well on their way.

Together at last. For now.


	23. Sleepover by Storm

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:39 AM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

"Guess what?" Alicia leaned across the table so that everyone could hear her. "I have a plan to make sure we're accepted as the Alpha group. Sixth _and_ seventh grade." They couldn't hope for more than that. "You know that fundraiser you guys are modeling in?"

Massie, Dylan, and Kristen nodded, and Alicia just barely resisted rubbing her hands together with glee and cackling like a mad scientist. Because not only would this ensure popularity, it would get her involved in the fashion show. "If Skye and her family come to that, which I'm sure they will, if they saw all of us walking that red carpet, she'll _have_ to accept us. And three out of five of us can't do it, because we'll look seperated, and Skye will use that to her advantage so she can take us down."

Claire immediately backed her up. She wanted to be in too. "She's right," Claire agreed, mingling her blonde head with the others. "We'll look totally isolated from each other. That's not what we want."

Massie didn't care who else was in the show, as long as she was. "Sure, come over to Dylan's house at 9 sharp Sunday morning."

"Cool," said Alicia nonchalantly. "That would be great."

Although Massie could see right through her, she didn't say anything, because even she thought performing in a fashion with her best friends in the whole world (except maybe Claire) would be fun.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
FRENCH  
2:29 PM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

Massie and Alicia were copying down notes when a familiar (to Alicia, at least) platinum-blonde head walked in. "Madame Ralston!" the girl exclaimed in an authentic French accent.

"Skye?" This slipped out of Alicia's mouth before she could stop herself.

The dance captain put on a great show. "Salut, Alicia! Comment faites-vous?" As though she hadn't seen her yesterday at practice and wouldn't see her four hours from now.

She smiled tightly, scooting a little closer to Massie, so Skye would see she had friends. "Très bien, merci."

"Avez-vous besoin de quelque chose, Skye?" the teacher asked quietly, her hair tumbling down to her butt as she got up from her chair.

"Mon professeur m'a demandé de vous donner ceci," she replied, handing over a small white package.

"Merci, Skye," Madame said with a kind smile, taking the envelope. "Au revoir."

Skye smiled, and with a quick, "À bientôt, Alicia!," she was gone.

"_That's_ Skye," Alicia stated grimly.

Massie stared in awe after the girl, who was dressed to the nines in an eye-catching neon green tutu-tank hippie dress that Massie had seen in Lord&Taylor. White suede ballet flats by Louis Vuitton were on her feet. She had a beige Gucci handbag dangling over her arm. Her eyes were done up the French way: cat-like. "She'll take work, but I think we can do it."

"I hope so," Alicia murmured. "But it won't be easy."

"There's five of us and one of her," Massie scoffed.

"That's what you think."

**BLOCK ESTATE  
FOYER  
3:07 PM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

Massie slipped on the Havaianas she hadn't worn a few weeks ago and opened the front door.

"Where are you going?" Kendra called.

"To visit Kuh-laire!" Massie shouted back.

"I just knew you two would become friends," Kendra commented sweetly.

"Oh, shut it," Massie replied playfully. They both giggled.

She opened the guesthouse door without knocking. It _was_ technically hers. "Kuh-laire?" she yelled.

Judi stepped in front of her. "Hi, Massie, Claire's upstairs."

She brushed past her.

"Excuse me," said Judi.

She was ignored.

"Excuse me!" Then she reached out and grabbed Massie's arm. "Who taught you to be so disrespectful? Barging into people's houses and then not even listening when they're perfectly nice to you!"

Massie rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop lecturing me. You're nawt my mother, and this is nawt your house."

Claire was standing on the upstairs landing with her hand cupped over her mouth. Before school in Westchester started, she would have shunned any girl who had been this nasty to Judi, or anyone, but because it was Massie, she couldn't help thinking it was funny. The Alpha shot her a a victorious smile.

"Hey, Mass!" Claire called.

"Hi!" She took the stairs two at a time, keeping a hand on the waist of her slightly loose skirt so it didn't slip. "We have to talk about something." She pulled Claire into the room they used to use as a storage closet.

Claire flopped down on her bed, which was covered with a Powerpuff Girls duvet. "What?"

"I was thinking that we should have a Friday night sleepover with the Pretty Commitee. Like every week. A tradition. Every clique needs one."

"Where?" asked Claire, clueless as usual.

"In the guesthouse, dummy," Massie told her with exxagerated patience. "But you have to get your family out."

"How about we call the other girls and make sure they can come first?"

This was before Massie became a dictator, and for now, their small country was a democracy. She pressed 2, 3, and 4 on her speed-dial. "Leesh?"

"Hey!"

"Hold on, I'm getting Dylan."

"Mass?"

"Hang on for a sec, I'll call Kris."

"Are all of you there?"

"Uh-huh." That was Alicia.

"I'm putting this on speaker. Everyone's here." Massie clicked a button and dropped the phone on the covers. "I was thinking of hosting a sleepover every Friday night. It would be mandatory for everyone, and happen that day each week. A Pretty Commitee custom!"

"It's a good idea," remarked Kristen hesitantly. "But I'm not sure my mom will let me."

"Why?" Massie was shocked. Her parents let her do whatever she wanted, except for the slight disagreement about her outfit that day.

"It's not like she knows you," Kristen pointed out.

"Of course she knows us!" Massie put on French airs. "We're ze Blocks!"

Everyone laughed. "Just ask her," said Alicia. "See what she says. Maybe your parents can call hers, Mass."

"Yeah, I'll tell my mom," she agreed. "So who's in?"

"Me!" shouted Alicia.

"Same here!" Dylan chimed.

"So it'll happen at the guesthouse," Massie informed them. "At 8:00 Friday night."

"Uh, Mass?"

"Yes, Kuh-laire?"

"I'm not sure my Mom will let us. You were pretty rude to her, and you can't just kick somebody out of their own house, especially for an entire night." Her eyebrows crinkled, like they did whenever she was nervous, or stuck in the middle.

"Once again, Kuh-laire, this is nawt your house, it's mine."

"It _is_?" asked Kristen incredulously. "What am I missing here?"

"Tell you later," Massie said quickly. "And second, my mom can talk to yours too. Maybe your family can stay in our house for a night. It's nawt complicated."

"Alright..."

"So it's done?"

"Done!"

"Done!"

"Your mom will talk to mine, right?"

"Yes, Kristen."

"Done!"

"Mine too?"

"_Yes_, Kuh-laire."

"Done!"

"And _done_!" The last came from Massie, who slid her phone back into her pocket and left Claire's room.

The Pretty Commitee's first five-way call.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
FOYER  
3:28 PM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

The second she got back, Massie sent Kendra over to talk to Judi.

"Hold on a minute, honey!" she called.

"Will you go over to the guesthouse for me, Mom?" Massie asked again.

"Why?" She was puzzled.

"The Pretty Commitee wants to have a sleepover there every Friday, but we kinda can't when _they're _inhabiting it."

"On one condition."

"What?"

"You invite Claire." She smiled, sure she had her daughter stumped. But Massie was past that roadblock.

"Already done." She smirked.

"Fine," Kendra said. She stepped into Ugg clogs that matched her pink Juicy Couture sweatshirt. Under it she had on a white tank, and on the bottom, pale wash skinny jeans that she'd probably picked up at Kohls.

"Thanks." Massie headed up the stairs to her room and opened a new document on Microsoft Word. This party required some serious planning. This was the day she had to make or break this clique, and if it wasn't perfect, the Pretty Commitee would go down the drain.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
3:41 PM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

Unlike Massie, Kendra knocked on the front door.

"Coming!" she heard Judi call.

Kendra turned her diamond rings upside-down, as was her habit when dealing with the not-so-well-off, and smoothed back her dark gold hair.

"Kendra! To what do we owe this pleasure?" Judi exclaimed, as though they didn't live on her property.

Kendra smiled. "I came to talk to you about a sleepover."

Judi's grin faded, replaced with a grimace. She'd been listening to Kendra's bitch of a daughter, and she knew that was what Massie wanted. And she didn't feel like giving Massie _anything_ she wanted. On the other hand, the Blocks had been generous enough to let them stay in their guesthouse for as long as neccesary, and Judi would like to return the favor. "Every Friday night, right?" she asked.

"Actually, I think we just wanted to discuss this one for now, but if you're okay with having one every week, I think she'd be more than happy." Kendra flashed her brilliant white teeth. "You could certainly stay with us those days."

Judi was so used to Claire not being included, she didn't even look upset. "And Claire could stay in Massie's room?"

"That was a-" She didn't want to act like Claire was a burden on Massie's group, even though she knew she was. "Thing that Massie already took care of!" she finished.

"Really?" Judi took on a look of delight.

"Yup! Claire's invited!"

Claire, from her room, and turned down her radio and was eavesdropping on their conversation. As Judi led Kendra into the den, she strolled casually down the stairs and sat down next to her mother, pretending she was waiting for an opening in the discussion.

"Do you need something, honey?" asked Judi.

"Yeah..." Claire panicked, wondering what she could want. "Where did you put the, um, TV remote?" she blurted.

"Right here. I hid it from your brother." She picked up a couch cushion and peeked under it. With a puzzled face, she looked up at Claire. "At least I thought I hid it from your brother. Maybe you should go ask him."

With a smile, Claire said, "Thanks," and returned to her room. The sleepover was really happening, and hearing that, she didn't think Kendra would have any problem persuading Kristen's mother.

**PINEWOOD APARTMENTS  
LIVING ROOM  
4:08 PM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

Kristen was about to ask Marsha something when the phone rang. Her mother held up a finger and picked it up. "Hello?" she said politely, as she always did when the caller was blocked. She looked ready to hang up on a telemarketer, but her face changed from annoyed to confused to interested in about two seconds. Her eyes flashed different colors too, just as her daughter's always did. "Oh, hi... Mrs. Block?" She shot a bemused look and Kristen, then shrugged. "Kendra, okay, Kendra... Yes, Kristen's told me quite a bit about her... Oh, I don't know, she should be focusing on her schoolwork Friday nights... Well, I guess it will be okay this once... Alright, thanks for calling." She put the reciever down and turned to Kristen. "Massie invited you to a party on tomorrow night?"

Kristen nodded, barely concealing a smile.

"So you can go-"

Kristen cheered and threw her arms around her mother. "Thank you Mommy, thank you!"

"But you must open your math book right now and finish your extra credit questions." Marsha picked up Kristen's backpack and handed it to her. "And I expect you to have a proper dinner with your father and myself tonight. No running to pick up your phone in the middle of a meal. Okay?"

"Fine." Kristen was already distracted. Shakira's Waka Waka was blasting from her pocket, which meant she had a text.

Marsha snatched the Voyager Titanium Verizon flip phone. "That's what I mean. None of that. Understood?"

"Yes." Kristen gritted her teeth and stuck her hand out. Her mother gave her the device.

**MASSIEKUR: U can come!  
SEXYSPORTSBABE: i can come!  
MASSIEKUR: IK!  
SEXYSPORTSBABE: Is there nething i should bring or sumthing?  
MASSIEKUR: Just urself. ;) i've got it all under control.  
SEXYSPORTSBABE: Alright, c u 2morrow.  
MASSIEKUR: C ya!**

Kristen put her phone on the glass coffee table and walked into her room, over to her desk. Then she opened the workbook and began working.

**MARVIL MANSION  
DYLAN'S ROOM  
4:27 PM  
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012**

Just as Dylan reached for her phone, it bleeped.

**MASSIEKUR: Every1's coming!  
BIGREDHEAD: That's gr8!  
MASSIEKUR: :D  
MASSIEKUR: Leesh!  
HOLAGURRL: What do u want? i'm doing hw! No, JK.  
MASSIEKUR: All of u r coming 2 the sleepover!  
HOLAGURRL: Actually...  
MASSIEKUR: What?!  
HOLAGURRL: JK!  
MASSIEKUR: :/  
CLAIREBEAR: Mass?  
MASSIEKUR: Yeah?  
CLAIREBEAR: Is Kristen coming?  
MASSIELUR: Affirmative.  
CLAIREBEAR: Is that every1?  
MASSIEKUR: Yes indeed. i can't wait!  
HOLAGURRL: Ditto!  
CLAIREBEAR: Double!  
BIGREDHEAD: x10!  
MASSIEKUR: Perf! C u there!**

Dylan picked up a pack of Cool Ranch Doritos, even though she knew they'd make her breath stink. She selected the giant overnight bag from her Rioni designer luggage set and started to pack. She began with two pairs of pajamas: pink and yellow tie-dyed fluffy pants, and turquoise Joe Boxer short shorts with polka-dots. Then Dylan added three Chanel tank tops, a pair of dark-wash Sevens, one Versace and one Tommy Hilfiger tee, a pair of Marc Jacobs flip-flops, some socks from Aeropostale, (it wasn't like anyone was seeing them) and a Kate Spade makeup bag. It was filled to the brim with CoverGirl mascara, MAC lipgloss, rouge, and many other things. She took Ziploc with her toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, and products. She tucked her iPad into the side compartment and zipped up. She was ready. After dragging the heavy load over to her door, she sat down on her bed and tore into the chips.

This was Dylan's idea of a good time.


	24. Moonlight Mania

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
8:03 PM  
SEPTEMBER 26, 2012**

Massie inserted the Maroon 5 CD she was holding into the stereo and pressed play. Immediately, Adam Levine's voice rang out through the basement. "But when the daylight... comes, I'll have to go. But tonight I'm gonna hold you so close!"

The girls each tried to sing louder than the others. "Oh, whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh, oh whoa-oh oh, oh, oh whoa-oh!"

Massie didn't participate. Instead, she lay down on the couch, watching her four best friends giggle and have fun together. It was the best an Alpha could hope for.

Enjoy the peace, Massie. It won't last long.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
8:05 PM  
SEPTEMBER 26, 2012**

Dylan reached for the platter of low-fat brownies. Even though they didn't have much sugar, Inez was an amazing baker, and could make anything taste good. "Yum," she broke in, her mouth full.

"I think I'll try one," said Claire, pulling the plate closer to her. "Omigod, those _are_ good," she agreed.

"Glad you like 'em," Massie said with a smile, plopping onto the floor. She surveyed the girls, who were either curled up in or on their sleeping bags, or sitting on top of them. "You wanna play a game?"

"Sure," replied Alicia, straightening her back. "How about Truth or Dare?" An evil grin crept across her face. She loved finding out embarassing secrets more than anything.

It wasn't what she had planned, but Massie was fine with her Beta's idea. After all, they had all night and well into the next day. "I'll go first," she proclaimed, staring at Claire. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Claire answered promptly. Massie already knew enough of her personal life.

"I dare you to go into my house and tell my mom you hate her even more than you hate her retarded guesthouse. Or you can tell your mom that she's a total bitch and you like my mom more than her." Massie smirked, flipping her hair behind her head.

Claire held up her hands, her face contorting in shock, but before she had a chance to argue, Dylan broke in. "Hold it, Mass, that's mean. I'm all for a fair game, but you can't do something like that."

"Fine," Massie grumbled. "I dare you to go get the brussels sprouts from your fridge and eat ten of them." She knew Claire couldn't stand any green vegetable.

Grimacing, Claire jogged upstairs, returning with a microwavable bowl of warm sprouts. She put one in her mouth and chewed slowly. "One!" everyone shouted.

"Two! Three! Four!"

"Eww!" Alicia screamed, jumping back. Claire had dribbled green juice all down her shirt, then spit it onto the Beta. She rushed off toward the bathroom.

"Six! Seven! Eight! Nine!"

Claire gagged, and barely managed to swallow. "No more," she choked out.

"Just one," Kristen cajoled. "Just one itsy-bitsy piece."

Claire picked it up between two fingers, cringed, dropped it in her mouth, and gulped it down without chewing. She washed it down with a half a bottle of clear Evian water. "Aah," she breathed, her tongue sticking out. But she wasn't in such pain that she couldn't take her turn. "Truth or Dare?" she asked Dylan.

"Truth," Dylan replied, examining her silver-coated nails. They glowed in the dark, she noticed as she slid her freezing fingers under the covers.

"On a scale of 1-10, how much do you like each of your sisters, and your mother?" It was such a Claire question.

"Ryan is a three, Jaime is an eight, and my mom is a... six."

"Why?" Massie exclaimed. She couldn't imagine disliking Merri-Lee Marvil at all.

"Yeah?" Claire echoed. "Why?"

"She just... doesn't seem that interested in me most of the time. I mean, of course I love her, she's my mom, but, like, sometimes I just feel like I don't matter to her, that's she more interested in her show than in me. I think my sisters feel the same way." Dylan popped another chocolate cake into her mouth. "It doesn't matter. I'm used to it." She turned toward Kristen. "Truth or Dare?"

Kristen didn't want to do anything that would get her in trouble. "Truth."

"Why are you so obsessed with school?"

Kristen took a quick breath, her heart beating faster than it ever had. She couldn't tell these little rich girls who had everything that she was on a scholarship. "I... really want to get into a great college," she blurted. "My mom said she won't pay for a good school unless I get on a scholarship." That worked, and it was close enough to the truth.

"Scholarship?" asked Alicia as she returned and flopped onto her stomach. "What about a scholarship?"

"Nothing," said Kristen forcefully.

Alicia crossed her arms and glared at her, then looked at Massie.

"Nothing," agreed Massie lightly. "Kristen, it's your turn."

"Truth or Dare?" she inquired of Massie.

"Truth."

"Why do you want to be Alpha so badly?"

That question stopped Massie in her tracks. She had no problem admitting it, but she didn't really know herself. "I guess I wanted to feel in control of my own life," she went with. "And the only way I can do that without someone looking down on me is being Alpha."

Kristen tilted her head to the side in approval. "You've got a point," she acknowledged.

Massie smiled smiled, but kept her gaze trained on Alicia. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," replied Alicia, her eyes glinting.

It would have been the same either way. "I dare you to tell the rest of the Pretty Commitee exactly who this is, and don't leave anything out." She smoothed the photo out on the blue-and-gray patterned rug and looked up at Alicia. Everyone else followed suit.

"That's my boyfriend, Mason," she began. "He's 13. I met him at the beach last summer, and since he was two years older than me, and I was so young, everyone called me a slut. I lost all my friends. So I came to OCD to start over. And I wasn't planning on telling anyone." She stared at Massie pointedly, then turned the paper over, a sad expression blanketing her. "And my parents don't know a thing, and he lives in New York City, so I can't really see him without revealing all of it."

"Oh, Alicia." A small smile crept across Claire's face. She put her arm around her friend. "I'm really sorry."

Massie hadn't expected it to be such a story. "Yeah, me too," she agreed.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
8:47 PM  
SEPTEMBER 26, 2012**

Loud footsteps came from upstairs. The floor creaked eerily. Their eyes widening, the girls huddled in a tight circle, pulling their sleeping bags, pillow, blankets, and sheets over their heads. The basement door opened.

"Are you girls okay?" asked Kendra. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Massie popped her head out from under the protective covering. "What are you doing here?"

"Dropping off food; I didn't know if you girls had enough," she explained, putting down a plate, two bowls, and various bottles. She had been a cocktail waitress back in London when she was 22-26, before she knew William. "Do you need anything?"

"No, we're good, Mom, thanks," Massie smiled, waving her away. "Shoo, shoo."

Kendra smirked and closed the door gently behind her.

"So guess what?" Alicia broke the silence in an eager voice. "There's a rumor going around that Kelli McKenna met Rihanna, who totally bitched about her in _People_."

"Huh?" Kristen's eyes switched from light to dark blue. "_The _Rihanna?"

"Uh-huh," replied Alicia, nodding, her dark hair streaming back and forth. "Yeah, she went to New York City last weekend, and she must have ran into her somewhere and drove her crazy, because she came back to school and was bragging about it all over the place. Just yesterday, Rihanna did a whole interview about how she loves her fans, but sometimes she wishes they'd leave her alone. She _must_ have been talking about Kelli."

"You're probably right," remarked Dylan. "It's not like Kelli ever shuts up or anything."

"And she was probably gloating before the issue came in," Massie finished off. "It makes perfect sen- Ehmagawd, I just had the best idea!"

"What?" Kristen and Claire demanded at the same time.

"We should have Gossip Points!"

Dylan furrowed her brows, and Alicia turned around to look at her sideways.

"Every day at lunch, and at Friday night sleepovers, we should have an organized meeting to discuss the latest gossip. Each person gets one shot, and after everybody gets a turn, you can go again if you want to. Ten would be the highest amount of gossip, and one would be the least." She managed to gauge everyone's expression at once. "You like?"

"It's a good idea," agreed Alicia. "But something's missing."

"Yeah, prizes!" Dylan interrupted. "After every week, the person with the most points gets a reward!"

"Ooh, that is a good idea!" Massie made a mental note. "What kind of prizes?"

"Shopping spree," Alicia said immediately. "And everyone has to pay $100 toward whatever she wants."

"Perfect!" she replied, missing both Kristen and Claire's expressions of horror. "I'll keep notes on here." She waved her phone under her everyone's nose. Her Notes app was open, and she had titled a new document GOSSIP POINTS.

"Oh, I have a rule," said Kristen suddenly. "Everyone has to be there. If someone's absent, you can gossip, but not for points."

Massie typed it in. "So you wanna start now?" Everyone grinned and nodded. "So the order is always Kuh-laire, Kristen, Dylan, Alicia, then me," she decreed, "unless I say otherwise. You're up," she gestured in the Epsilon's direction.

"Um... you know that lockdown we had the other day?"

The others shrugged. "Sure."

"Yeah, that was because Shelby Reston brought her pet _skunk _into school!"

"Eww!" Alicia shouted. "That's disgusting."

Claire nodded. "And I have it on good authority that she did it on purpose."

Massie gagged. "That's enough, Kuh-laire," she gasped. "Alright, how many points?"

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
9:13 PM  
SEPTEMBER 26, 2012**

"I had another idea too," Massie started over the babble of conversation, which halted as the group looked up at their leader. "Every morning, we should rate each other's outfits and give the other girls advice."

"Alright," said Dylan before everyone continued.

Massie involved herself in the discussion Kristen and Alicia were having, but her heart wasn't in it.

Had Dylan blown her off, or was she just being paranoid?

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
10:05 PM  
SEPTEMBER 26, 2012**

Kristen's normal bedtime was 9:00 sharp, and she was beginning to get tired. Yawning, she pulled the covers up to her chin and dozed off, tuning out her friends' voices.

She was awoken by the sound of close-range whispers.

"Over here."

She heard a giggle.

"Shh!" That had to be Massie.

Her disoriented brain was slowly waking up. "What's going on?" she mumbled, but no one heard her.

"You're going to wake her up!" someone whisper-shouted, and then she couldn't hear their voice anymore. So she fell back asleep.

The next time she sat up, it was morning. Birds were chirping and the sky was a brilliant azure. Then she realized her face was sticky and goopy. Cautiously, she poked at it with her index finger. It came off white. She tasted it. Whipped cream. She should have known. Then she saw the can in the corner of the room. Peeling the covers back, she tiptoed over to it, picked it up, and sprayed it lightly onto each and every girl's face. Then she pretended she was asleep. In less than ten minutes, Massie's screams woke the rest of them.

Kristen smirked, and curled up deeper under the covers. She was never suspected.


	25. The Aftermath

**BLOCK ESTATE  
OUTDOOR POOL  
10:36 AM  
SEPTEMBER 27, 2012**

Claire posed in a modest celery-colored Prada bikini that she'd borrowed from Massie. "9.5," the Alpha proclaimed.

"9.6" "9.3" "9.3."

"Put your hair up in a messy bun," Massie instructed before moving on to Dylan. "9.4." The redhead was wearing a purple Versace one-piece, with metallic silver loops and swirls. "Not your best color, but other than that, beautiful."

"9.7" "9.2" "9.4."

"You're up," she told Kristen, who had just come out of the bathroom. She had on a navy blue Chanel suit. "That looks better on you than I thought it would," approved Massie with a smile. "9.8."

"9.8." "9.5." "9.5."

"Thanks." Kristen blushed and joined Massie, leaving only Alicia and the Alpha. Massie's Beta was dressed in a burgundy Ralph Lauren bikini, which popped against her tan skin. Matching studs were in her ears, and the Dior sunglasses on her head were to die for. So were white Prada flip-flops with the tell-tale silver logo.

"Perfect 10!" Massie squealed, jumping a few inches into the air. "I love it! You _have_ to wear that if we ever have a pool party."

Alicia took a step back. "Thanks," she replied cooly. "But I only ever wear an outfit once."

Massie raised her eyebrows and snapped, "Rate me." She stepped in front of the girls and turned around to face them, wearing a chocolate-colored Victoria's Secret two-piece. It was surprisingly modest: yes, string, but it didn't reveal anything it wasn't supposed to.

"9.7," said Alicia thoughtfully, then nodded affirmatively in agreement with herself.

"9.8." 9.8." 9.9."

Massie spun around with a flourish and called, "Let's go!" Flipping her hair back, she sprinted across the artificial sand and dove in smoothly. She was ready for some fun in the sun.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
OUTDOOR POOL  
10:43 AM  
SEPTEMBER 27, 2012**

Dylan flopped around clumsily, spraying Kristen and Claire with water. Massie and Alicia were floating on inner tubes at the edge of the pool, gossiping.

She tilted her face up to the sun, smiling. This was the life.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
DRIVEWAY  
11:49 AM  
SEPTEMBER 27, 2012**

Patiently, Massie waited with Claire for all her friends to be picked up. Then she turned to her neighbor. "Back to the pool?" she asked with a knowing smirk.

"You betcha." Claire had covered herself with a black see-through wrap from Nordstrom, while Massie had on a white DKNY sundress. With their skirts streaming behind them, they raced each other around the house to the back and jumped in. They spent the rest of the day there, only coming in for dinner.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
11:10 PM  
SEPTEMBER 27, 2012**

Claire had forgotten just how easily she burned. Even though she'd lathered herself in Coppertone, the SPF hadn't been high enough, and she was as red as a lobster. Carefully, she rolled over, in an effort not to rub her skin against the polyester sheets. Biting her lip so as not to start crying, she snuck out of bed and into the bathroom she shared with her brother. She adjusted the shower nozzle until a light spray flowed out. Then she stepped into the freezing shower.

"Omigod, it'scoldit'scoldit'scold," she stuttered, wrapping her arms around herself and jumping up and down. Just as she got used to the temperature, there was a knock on the bathroom door. Then it swung open. How had she forgotten to lock it?

"Claire?" came the kind voice of Judi Lyons. "What's going on?"

Claire covered herself with her hands and pulled the shower curtain closer to her. She couldn't admit to her mother that she'd gotten sunburnt. Judi, who'd had Melanoma as a young adult, always made sure Claire was wearing sunblock. She'd kill her daughter if she knew.

She examined her body. She was burnt all over, to a crisp. There was no way she could keep Judi from finding out. She snatched a towel from the hook next to her, turned off the water, and mumbled, "I'm really sunburnt." She batted her eyelashes and used her baby voice.

Judi couldn't seem to decide whether she should run over and comfort her poor little baby, or scold her. She settled for halfway. After gathering Claire in a quick hug, she said, "How could you do this? You know how susceptible you are to skin cancer."

Claire hung her head, water dripping from the ends of her hair onto the tile. "I know." Then she brushed against the rough concrete of the sink counter and couldn't resist crying out.

Judi's eyes widened. "Come on, honey." She grabbed her daughter's arm and pulled her out of the bathroom. "We're going to the hospital."

**PINEWOOD APARTMENTS  
KRISTEN'S ROOM  
11:21 PM  
SEPTEMBER 27, 2012**

Normally, Kristen wasn't allowed to keep her cell phone in her room when she went to bed, but her mother had forgotten about it tonight and Kristen wasn't about to remind her. But when she was awoken a little before midnight by a text from Massie, she regretted it.

**MASSIEKUR: Kris!  
SEXYSPORTSBABE: What do u want? -_-  
MASSIEKUR: Kuh-laire just left the house in the middle of the night in Judi's car and they went roaring away at the speed of light. Do u hav any idea what could possibly b going on?  
****SEXYSPORTSBABE: No, i don't. U live there, remember? Not me.  
MASSIEKUR: :/  
SEXYSPORTSBABE: Look, i'm glad u care about her, but i'm sure it's nothing.**

As she drifted back off to sleep, Kristen couldn't help dreaming about cars rattling into the distance and friends in trouble... she had a horrible night's sleep.


	26. Mountains and Molehills

**HUDSON VALLEY HOSPITAL CENTER  
ROOM 384  
8:19 AM  
SEPTEMBER 29, 2012**

Claire slept lightly as her mother kept a nervous eye on her. Judi knew it had been foolish to rush her daughter to the ER, but she had seen terrible things about cancer that wasn't diagnosed in time, had even lived through it, and she would never put Claire at risk for that. She took a deep breath as the doctor walked in. "Hi, Mr. Hodge." She smiled politely, but the strain showed through on her face. There were bags under her eyes from having no sleep, and her muscles were tight, her bones sharp.

"Hello, Ms. Lyons," he returned in his rumbling bass.

Judi edged over to her the sleeping girl. Stroking her hair, she mumbled, "Wake up, sweetheart. Come on." Lightly, she shook her shoulder. Then her phone rang. Claire sat straight up, her eyes wide.

"Where are we?" she asked, pushing her bangs out of her face. She looked around, taking in the doctor in his long white lab coat, and the blinding white walls of the hospital room. "Hi," she tried weakly, shooting a fleeting smile towards the doctor.

"Hi," he said kindly. "My name is Mr. Hodge." He shook Claire's hand, but after seeing her face clench in pain, he quickly let go, masking his shock at the strawberry-red hue that coated her skin. "What happened to you?"

"We stayed out in the sun too long," Claire admitted. "And it was really hot."

Mr. Hodge smiled knowingly. "Been there, done that."

Meanwhile, Judi was chatting on her Android with Kendra. "Are you all okay?" Massie's mother asked with genuine concern.

"I'm okay; Claire's not doing so well."

"Oh my goodness, what happened?!" Kendra exclaimed in horror. "We saw you leave."

"I had to take Claire to the hospital," Judi explained quietly. "Since I had Melanoma when I was younger, it makes her extremely vulnerable to all sorts of problems, and since she got burnt yesterday..."

"I see," replied Kendra. "Do you think Claire's in any position to talk with Massie? She'd been dying to speak to her."

"A couple of minutes can't do any harm." Judi waited until she heard the shuffle of Massie picking up her mother's phone to hand the Droid to Claire. "Here, hon," she said softly, with a small smile.

"Hey, Mass," Claire sniffed.

"Hi," she replied. "Are you going to be at school today?"

"Don't think so," she answered. "But text me and tell me how it's going."

"Alright. And make sure you use cotton sheets."

Claire laughed. "Learned that lesson."

"When I was little, I didn't tan at all. I was so shocked at the beach when I was six and I just got darker and darker and..." She trailed off. "Look, I'm being really insensitive. I hope you feel better."

The silence between them was suddenly unbearably awkward. "Thanks, Mass. Bye."

"Feel better." She hung up.

Claire stared sadly at the device in her hand. She was actually getting to like Massie, but what wouldn't she give for a day back in Orlando with Mandy, Sarah and Sari? Then she realized.

**CLAIREBEAR: OMG, plz help me!  
INMANDYLANDY: What's wrong? And y haven't u texted me since u moved? U haven't talked 2 ne of us. What happened 2 4ever and ever, in ill or good health, from near or afar? Huh?  
CLAIREBEAR: i'm really sry. i never thought i could text u from all the way up here.  
INMANDYLANDY: That's the lamest excuse i have ever heard. But neway, what happened?  
CLAIREBEAR: i hav this killer sunburn from hanging out w/ my friend Massie in her pool all day and i'm in the hospital. Mom's flipping out cuz she thinks i'll get skin cancer and i'm actually kind of scared, but i can't tell her that and...  
INMANDYLANDY: Yeah, i get what u mean. :(  
CLAIREBEAR: What should i do?  
INMANDYLANDY: What can u do?  
CLAIREBEAR: IDK! That's the point!  
INMANDYLANDY: i feel u, but listen, i G2G. Y don't u text Sari? She's not busy this whole weekend.  
CLAIREBEAR: Sari, u there?  
INDIAQT: OMG, Claire?!  
CLAIREBEAR: It's me. ;)  
INDIAQT: Y didn't u call? Or text? Or nething?!  
CLAIREBEAR: That's what Mandy said. Look, i'm uber-sry, but i hav sumthing 2 ask u, so put on ur emotional distress thinking-cap.  
INDIAQT: Shoot.  
CLAIREBEAR: U know how my mom had skin cancer?  
INDIAQT: Yeah.  
CLAIREBEAR: i got sunburnt really bad yesterday, and she thinks i'm going 2 get it 2, and i'm nervous, but i don't want 2 tell her.  
INDIAQT: Ur going 2 hav 2 at sum point. Just say what's on ur mind, and if she's nasty about it, be like, 'i can't believe i trusted u enuff 2 tell u this and here's how u treat me.' It always puts my mom in pity-mode.  
CLAIREBEAR: i guess it's worth a try.  
INDIAQT: Get off ur high horse. ;)**

Claire put her phone down, took a deep breath, and asked, "Mom?" Judi turned toward her. "Listen, I need to tell you something." Judi waved the doctor out of the room and sat down next to her daughter silently. Claire closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
MASSIE'S LOCKER  
8:51 AM  
SEPTEMBER 29, 2012**

"Frappucinos for everyone!" Dylan announced as she carried a steaming tray toward the group.

"Well, not _everyone_," Kristen snapped at an eager LBR.

"Hey where's Kuh-laire?" asked Dylan as all the girls reached for the coffees. "We got five."

"She's, um, she's in the hospital," Massie explained.

"More for me!" Dylan grinned. "No, just kidding. Well, there is more for me, but what happened to her?" she finished awkwardly.

"She got this terrible sunburn and her mom used to have skin cancer so she's really worried about her," she rattled off.

"Ehmagawd, poor her!" Alicia exclaimed sympathetically, her eyes widening. "I really hope she's okay!"

"Me, too." Massie couldn't help feeling protective of the girl she thought of as little. With a half-smile, she slammed her locker shut. "She'll probably be back tomorrow, though," she said, masking her concern. "I don't think it's that bad."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
AP MATH  
9:03 AM  
SEPTEMBER 29, 2012**

Dylan sat smack in the middle of the classroom and put her hand on her stomach. She felt bloated and fat, as big as a balloon. Why had she downed both those large cups? Then she noticed the one still standing on the corner of her desk. Not being able to stand the sight of it, she grabbed the container, stood up, and marched it over to the trash, then wiped her hands clean. "Aah," she breathed a sigh of relief before sauntering back to her desk. Now that she was rid of the offensive liquid, she felt much thinner. Her leopard-print-covered-by-Alexander-McQueen-butt felt ten pounds lighter, and no more of her imagined stomach fat bulged out of the black Dolce&Gabbana cami. A small golden Ralph Lauren wrap covered her shoulders. She sat up taller, straightening her spine, sticking out her A Cups.

Miss Pizzano brushed past her. Bitchily, she leaned down and whispered, "Pull your shirt up, Dylan honey."

Insolently, Dylan waited until the teacher was at the front of the room before yanking the lace tank down further.

She glared at Dylan. Dylan glared back. Eventually, Miss Pizzano lowered her gaze and adressed the class. "Please take out your homework." Dylan shuffled around in her folder and yanked out a rumpled sheet of paper. As she removed it, a strip tore off and floated to the floor. Oh, well. Nothing was written there, anyway. Resting her elbow on the desk, Dylan waited for the teacher to come check her paper.

"25 points off for appearance," she snapped.

"Excuse me?" Dylan drew out sassily, standing up. Although she was much shorter than Miss Pizzano, she'd learned from Merri-Lee how to make yourself look taller. That was exactly what she did. Drawing herself up to her full height, she ignored the fact that she was making an enormous fuss about nothing. "Do you have a _problem _with my appearance?"

"No, Dylan," her teacher stated calmly. "My problem is your need to take better care of your things, and if you don't sit down, I will be forced to give you detention. And speaking of, I learned that you never went to the session I assigned to you." Low blow. Dylan couldn't believe she'd said that in front of the entire class, who were all snickering behind sealed lips.

She faced the woman head-on. "That's because I had something else to do. You do nawt run my life. You are nawt the president. You are nawt God." Then she slowly sat down.

Miss Pizzano simmered, her face becoming an embarassing shade of red. She summoned a hall moniter. Then she signaled to Dylan to come with her, and they both marched out of the room.

Towards the principal.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:28 AM  
SEPTEMBER 29, 2012**

"That _bitch_," Dylan fumed to Alicia. "She takes me to the principal's office because I told her she wasn't God. I mean, doesn't math "deal only in facts?" She added mocking air quotes. Her anger was about to burst out of her.

"Whoa." Alicia threw her hands up and leaned down to slurp her Delicious Nutritious Strawberry Smoothie. "You _are_ mad."

"No shit, Sherlock," Dylan snapped as Massie sat down.

"My God, what's going on?" Massie asked incredulously.

"Her-" Alicia was interrupted.

"Her bitch of a math teacher took her to the principal for being extraordinarily rude." Miss Pizzano's cool voice floated down from behind them. Digging her talons into Dylan's shoulder, she ordered, "Let's go, Dylan."

Turning around, she hissed, "Here we go again."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:32 AM  
SEPTEMBER 29, 2012**

"What just happened?" Kristen wondered as she sat down at the table, her silver hoops swinging from her ears. She'd straightened her long hair that morning, and it looked much better than normal.

As Alicia was about to tell her, Massie approved, "Love the hair, Kris! Snaps!" But she didn't bother.

"Alright, I'm done," Alicia muttered, slumping down in her chair. "You tell her."

"I don't know either," defended Massie. "Tell both of us, and we won't interrupt."

And Alicia did.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
LOBBY  
2:18 PM  
SEPTEMBER 29, 2012**

The Pretty Commitee grouped together in the corner of the marble entryway, gossiping and waiting for Massie so they could leave in her limo.

"Sorry I'm late," she said breathlessly. "We can go now. To On The Floor by J-Lo. The chorus."

"Hips swingin', hair flyin'," Alicia added smarmily.

"Just walk," Massie told them, exasperated. Everyone laughed.

**MONTADOR APARTMENTS  
DRIVEWAY  
2:30 PM  
SEPTEMBER 29, 2012**

"This is fine," Kristen told Isaac as they approached the two buildings. The Pinewood and the Montador were side-by-side, and Kristen had already figured out that a good way to avoid telling the Pretty Commitee that she was (gasp!) middle-class was by pretending she lived where all the wealthy families did. She strutted down the walkway, which was edged with flowers, and entered the vestibule, where Kristen pulled out her apartment key and pretended she was using it.

"Alright, Isaac," the Alpha told her driver, and they zoomed toward Dylan's house.


	27. Seventh-Grade Skye

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SEVENTH-GRADE WING  
8:48 AM  
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012**

"Alright," Massie cautioned as soon as she saw Skye coming through the glass doors. "Heads up."

"Why are we doing this again?" Kristen inquired.

"We can't let her take advantage of us when we're not ready," Alicia explained. "So _we're _going to apprehend _her_."

Quickly, Massie examined each of her friends' outfits.

Alicia was wearing a royal blue Gucci cowl-neck top with skinny black True Religions. On her feet were black Tory Burch flats. She had on a turquoise Cartier bracelet. "9.6," Massie proclaimed, examining Alicia's curled locks. "Straight would have looked better."

"I've got a party later," Alicia replied. "And by afternoon, I'll have brushed it out enough so it'll be waves."

"Ooh, do it now!" Massie whisper-ordered. "That'll be really pretty."

"Okay!" Alicia grabbed a brush and hastily ran it through her tresses, over and over.

Dylan had on an olive-green belted bubble tube top by Marc Jacobs with light wash skinny jeans. Jimmy Choo leather sandals rocked the look. "9.7," Massie and Alicia agreed in sync. "It looks perfect."

Kristen had on a black DKNY miniskirt with a pale cerulean Ralph Lauren blouse. For accesories, she had a black-and-silver Juicy Couture choker and matching bracelet. On her feet were gunmetal gray pumps. "9.8." Massie nodded. "That's a great look for you. Come on, guys, do me." Skye was approaching, and she saw them.

Massie stood in front of her friends in a purple cutoff Versace top. Tight denim short shorts she'd discovered when shopping at Agnes B for dresses made her toned gams look slim but firm. Sparkling white Louboutin flip-flops matched the Fendi purse and the $830 Chanel shades resting on her head.

"9.9," they all agreed at once.

And then Skye was upon them.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SEVENTH-GRADE WING  
8:54 AM  
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012**

"Hey, Skye," said Alicia with a casual flick of her hair, just like she'd practiced.

"Hi, Leesh!" she bubbled. "And posse."

"Actually, they're _my_ clique," blurted Massie. "The Pretty Commitee. I'm Massie Block and they are..." She pointed at Dylan and Kristen as she introduced them.

"Well, you're all very impressive," complimented Skye. "But I've got to get to my locker. If you'll excuse me..."

Dylan stepped in front of her. "Could you do us a favor?"

"Mmm?"

"We're trying to gain some recognition." Massie used her most professional voice. "Is there anything you could do?"

Skye tapped her Ultramarine-Green manicured nails against her Louis Vuitton pocketbook. "Maybe."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
SIXTH-GRADE WING  
8:57 AM  
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012**

"Is she planning something?" worried Kristen as the crowd parted for them.

Alicia shrugged. "She'll want something in return."

Massie raised her eyebrows. "Oh, don't worry." She laughed evilly. "We'll give her something in return."

Dylan glanced up smugly. "And she won't even have to ask."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
11:33 AM  
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012**

"Why'd your mom cancel modeling on Sunday?" Massie wondered.

"Oh, she was sick. But we have it today," Dylan informed her.

"Can we just bring Alicia and Kuh-laire along?" Kristen asked Merri-Lee's daughter.

"I don't think she'd mind. Oh, and I have photos of Kuh-laire's dress. You wanna see?" She pulled out a packet.

The girls crowded around her.

Claire's goldenrod-colored Marc Jacobs dress was narrow, with a pleated skirt down to her knees and an off-the-shoulder bodice. It came with a white BeBe clutch that matched the flat Blahnik strappy sandals. It was perfect for Claire.

"Send her a picture," suggested Massie, snatching Dylan's phone.

"Use your own!" Dylan giggled and yanked it back.

"Fine." Massie snapped a photo.

**MASSIEKUR: Do u like it?  
CLAIREBEAR: Yes! Tell Dyl it's perfect!  
MASSIEKUR: ;)**

"She loves it," she told her friend.

"Good."

**HUDSON VALLEY HOSPITAL CENTER  
ROOM 384  
****11:41 AM**  
**SEPTEMBER 30, 2012**

"Look at my dress!" Claire waved the phone toward her mother.

"Let me see!" Judi leaned over her daughter's shoulder. "Oh, that'll look really good on you, honey. But what is it for?"

"You know The Daily Grind? That show you always watch?"

Judi nodded.

"Her daughters go to my school. And one's my friend. She asked the Pretty Commitee if we wanted to do a fashion show for an OCD fundraiser they're holding, and we all said yes. This is what I'm gonna wear!" She beamed.

"I'm sure if Kendra approves, then it will be fine. When's the show?"

"A couple of months. They actually have practice today, but obviously I can't go."

"Actually," said a nurse smoothly as she entered the room. "You can. We did not find any signs of disease." She grinned.

"Thank you," Judi replied, picking up her faux Kate Spade purse with a tight smile. "Come on, Claire."


	28. Come Out On Top

**MARVIL MANOR  
FRONT PORCH  
3:06 PM  
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012**

Claire knocked on the door. Immediately, it was pulled open by Dylan. "Kuh-laire!" the redhead embraced her. "I'm so glad you're out of the hospital! Come on in." Then she noticed Judi. "Oh, you too." She gestured inside with a wave of her arm.

"They're all in the sitting room with Mom, listening to her ten-minute speech about how she's _so sorry_ that she had to cancel rehearsal and all that sh-." She remembered that there was an adult present and closed her mouth, choosing to roll her eyes instead. "I was so glad the doorbell rang."

Claire smiled, picturing the silent catfight that she knew had ensued. "Bye, Mom."

"Oh, are you sure?" Judi insisted, not making any move to leave. "If you want me to stay, I'd be more th-"

"You just want to meet Merri-Lee Marvil." Claire cocked her head.

"Fine, you got me." Judi turned back the way she had come and got back in the car. Claire, on the other hand, followed Dylan toward the rest of the Pretty Commitee.

**MARVIL MANOR  
SITTING ROOM  
3:09 PM  
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012**

"Mom, Kuh-laire. Kuh-laire, Merri-Lee," Dylan introduced before plopping back down next to Massie.

"Nice to meet you. I was just saying-"

"Not ah-gain, Mom," Dylan moaned. "Let's go practice." She led the way toward the elevator. Quickly, the others got up and followed suit. "So anyway, we're actually going to try on our dresses today."

Claire barely contained a squeal of excitement.

"And also, we need to discuss Skye."

"Let's do that first," Massie said. "That way we can focus on the show afterward."

"Good idea," Kristen agreed.

They went with Dylan toward her bedroom. Massie sat in the desk chair, Alicia pulled herself out the desk, Dylan belly-flopped onto her bed, and Kristen sat on the floor with Claire.

"Order!" Massie air-clapped. Everyone turned to look at her. "Does anyone have any suggestions?"

**MARVIL MANOR  
DYLAN'S ROOM  
3:36 PM  
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012**

"You first, Mass," Dylan urged.

Massie retreated into the closet to try on her dress. Wincing, she strapped on the high heels, pulled her hair up into a sexy high ponytail, and retouched her Pink Lemonade Glossip Girl. Then she glanced down at her legs, which, luckily, she had shaved that morning. "What do you think?" she asked. As always, her presence drew everyone's gaze.

"Wow," Kristen breathed. "You look great, Mass!" She reached over to hug her, but Massie fended her away.

"No wrinkles. Leesh, you're up."

The Beta spun in circle so as to make the short skirt flare out.

"The flats look horrible x10." Massie grimaced. "You need heels." She searched through Dylan's rack until she came across a pair of cream-colored leather Louboutins. "Try these."

Alicia slipped them on. Massie wouldn't settle for mediocre for herself, but this was Alicia. "Good enough. Kris?"

After everyone tried on their dresses, Dylan had Lloyd drop them off at their houses. "Thanks," she said warmly.

Her driver tipped an imaginary cap. "Anytime, Miss Marvil."

**RIVERA MANSION  
ALICIA'S ROOM  
4:02 PM  
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012**

The second Alicia slipped away from her mother's questions about her modeling, she'd logged on to her laptop and began her part of the plan.

Destroying Skye was a priority if they ever wanted to rule; they could see that now. And thank God Kristen had thought up just the way to do it.

**WESTCHESTER MALL  
KOHLS  
4:16 PM  
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012**

"You need more sweatpants, Kristen," Marsha barked as she led her daughter toward the Young Miss Department.

"Ugh, not from here," she moaned pointlessly. Her mother never listened to her opinion. "Can we go to one of those stores?" She waved vaguely toward the section of the mall that housed the designer stores.

"You know we don't have the money." Mrs. Gregory shook her head. "Are you afraid someone you know will see you?" She laughed loudly, then yanked Kristen after her.

* * *

**TO ALL MY READERS:**

**APPARENTLY KRISTEN HAS A PLAN TO TAKE DOWN SKYE, BUT GUESS WHAT? I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS. DO ANY OF YOU GUYS? IF YOU DO, I'LL GIVE YOU A DAY-AND-A-HALF TO PM ME WITH AN IDEA. **

**HEART YA,  
****JOY**


	29. It's A New Day (And Month)

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
FIRST-FLOOR HALLWAY  
8:59 AM  
OCTOBER 1, 2012**

"Look at this!" Massie called back to her friends, who were dawdling behind her, staring over Alicia's shoulder at the issue of Seventeen she was admiring.

"What?" asked Claire, who was back at school.

Massie waited for the rest of the girls to catch up, then gestured grandly toward the poster on the wall. TALENT SHOW, it proclaimed. "Okay, no offense, Kris, but screw your plan. There's a much easier way to beat Skye." She paused long enough to have everyone's attention, then said low and clear, "We kick her ass at the talent show in two days."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
FIRST-FLOOR HALLWAY  
9:01 AM  
OCTOBER 1, 2012**

"We're late," Kristen told the girls. "Bye."

Alicia grabbed her arm. "Relax. We have an assembly at 9:30. We don't have to go to homeroom."

"Good," said Massie. "Cuz we need every extra second to practice. We'll ask Merri-Lee Marvil to let us work on our act this afternoon."

"What _is_ our act?" inquired Dylan, transferring the fluffy black North Face jacket she was holding from one arm to the other.

"We're going to dance," Massie announced. "And we're going to be good at it."

Alicia jumped up and stuffed the magazine into her pack. "And I'm going to be the captain!"

"Chill, Leesh, we're not your bad ass whatever the hell it is thing. We're going to be a one-hit wonder."

Alicia closed her eyes, tapping her foot to "Beauty and a Beat." Then she twirled around, performing a complex dance step.

"Leesh!" Kristen grabbed her arm. "We do not take dance like you do. We need an easy routine that plays to the audience and only _seems_ complicated."

"Exactly."

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
AUDITORIUM  
9:32 AM  
OCTOBER 1, 2012**

After making a late entrance to the beat of "That's What Makes You Beautiful," the Pretty Commitee took a row of five seats right in the middle that the other students had left for them.

Claire couldn't pay attention to a word the principal said. She was too busy picturing the five of them showing it off on that stage. Because she knew winning a talent show with the four most popular girls in the sixth grade would finally help her feel like she belonged.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
AP ENGLISH  
10:06 AM  
OCTOBER 1, 2012**

Kristen used one part of her brain to concentrate on her book and the other half to shuffle her feet as though she were dribbling a soccer ball. Back and forth, back and forth, back and- DING!

"Class dismissed!"

Kristen placed her handmade bookmark between two pages and leapt up, shoving _Where The Red Fern Grows_ into her Jansport tote and racing toward the cafe. When she got there, she found Claire rapidly scribbling down answers to her Health homework, Massie and Alicia deep in conversation, and Dylan texting.

"We were waiting for you!" the Alpha exclaimed, cutting off her discussion and turning to face Kristen. "We decided that we're going to cut fifth and practice. We _have _to beat Skye or we'll have no chance." She didn't have to say at what.

Kristen's eyebrows shot up, her peaceful day ruined. "No _way_," she snapped, shocked that Massie would even suggest such a thing. She glanced at Claire for support, and for once she gave it.

"Kristen's right," she decided, sliding her papers back into a shiny purple folder. "Neither of us are ditching class."

"Count me in," Dylan agreed, crossing her arms menacingly. "Skipping is for babies."

"Fine." Massie smirked irritably. "We'll stay at Dylan's an hour late and practice all afternoon."

"But I have soccer," Kristen whined.

"Ditch class or miss practice?"

"Miss practice," she consented.

"Thought so." Then Massie flipped her hair over her shoulder and stalked away.

**OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY  
CAFE  
10:56 AM  
OCTOBER 1, 2012**

"She's bitchy today," Dylan remarked, squinting after Massie.

"No kidding." Kristen rolled her eyes, reorganizing her notebooks.

"What's she so upset about?" Claire wondered.

"Oh, she's scared we won't beat Skye. Like hell. She's only captain cuz her parents own the place. I'm way better." Alicia tucked her raven waves behind an ear.

"Do you have a dance for us?" asked Dylan, pulling her Oscar De La Renta silk jacket down over her belly.

"Yeah," replied Alicia. "And a formation."

"Which is?" Dylan prompted.

"I'm in the front, then you and Massie, then Kristen and Kuh-laire, pyramid-style. Probably. I have to know how good you are."

"Just remember that we're not dance fanatics the way you are," Kristen reminded her nervously.

"And that Massie might not be in the best mood," Dylan added.


	30. Practice Makes Perfect

**So guess what? After this chapter, I'm starting a sequel Clique: Sixth Grade (Part 2). Real original, right? But they're all going to be something like that, so they'll be easy to find. It'll pick up right where this left off, and probably be a little shorter, just w/ the highlights of the rest of the sixth grade. Then you'll get another story: seventh grade! After that, I'll probably skip to high school: a whole new ball game. But we'll go w/ the flow. And if you have any ideas for the sequel, PM me. But don't worry, I have plenty of my own!**

**Heart ya,  
Joy**

* * *

**MARVIL MANOR  
DYLAN'S ROOM  
2:53 PM  
OCTOBER 1, 2012**

After going over the steps in her head, Alicia had clicked on her iPod Touch and counted off, "And five, six, five six seven eight!" and jumped right into the routine she'd created for the Justin Beiber feat. Nicki Minaj pop masterpiece. Breathless, she turned around to face the Pretty Commitee to find awed but annoyned faces. "What?" she demanded, one hand on her heaving bosom.

"We told you already," Kristen said. "We can't dance on your level."

"Fine," Alicia growled. "We'll go slowly." She turned the volume down and showed the group the first step with exxagerated patience.

"Okay, listen, sweetheart," Massie snapped. "We're not morons. Show us the dance like a normal person, or we'll find a professional coreographer, for God's sake."

Clenching her fist, she struggled through four hours of repetition. At the end of the session, she said," If I find out any one of you didn't practice, you're out, and I'm nawt kidding."

**PINEWOOD APARTMENTS  
KRISTEN'S ROOM  
7:04 PM  
OCTOBER 1, 2012**

"Turn that down!" her mother hollered from the master. "Now!"

"Fine!" Kristen was equally annoyed. She couldn't figure out if she was some kind of freak that couldn't dance or if Alicia was too advanced for any of them.

**SEXYSPORTSBABE: Is it just me, or do u suck at this 2?  
BIGREDHEAD: Definitely nawt just u.  
SEXYSPORTSBABE: U don't know how much that means 2 me. ;)**

Rejuvenated, she tried again. This time she made it up to "A billion could've never bought," before she stumbled and fell on her face, twisting her ankle. A slight improvment.

**BLOCK ESTATE  
BASEMENT  
7:44 PM  
OCTOBER 1, 2012**

"Let's try again," Massie instructed, replaying the song.

"_Show you off, tonight I wanna show you off.  
What you got, a billion could've never bought.  
We gonna party like it's 3012 tonight.  
I wanna show you all the finer things in life.  
So just forget about the world, be young tonight._"

She shut off the music. "Yeah, Kuh-_laire_!"

"Yeah, Mass!" They slapped hands.

"We did it!" they shouted together before collapsing on the sofa.

**MARVIL MANOR  
DYLAN'S ROOM  
8:01 PM  
OCTOBER 1, 2012**

Dylan had lied to Kristen. She was proud of her dancing. She had done modern, just like Alicia, up to when she was eight or nine, and had only quit a couple of years ago to join a theater troupe. She was confident that her dancing abilities hadn't faded at all. She twisted, turned, and landed on her knee with her hands in a V, where she'd stay with Massie, Kristen, and Claire while Alicia perfomed her solo. Then she and Kristen would throw her, Alicia would do a full spin and land on her feet, and they'd all pose while the lights went down.

She performed the first half of the dance again. And again. She didn't even notice when Merri-Lee cracked her door open to watch.

"That was excellent!" cried the television anchor. "Oh, Dylan, I always said you should have continued dance."

"I kind of wish I had too," Dylan replied. "Maybe I will."

**BLOCK ESTATE  
GUESTHOUSE  
8:16 PM  
OCTOBER 1, 2012**

Claire wiped her sweaty forehead and sat down at the table.

"Go wash up," Judi ordered.

Sighing, Claire got up, scrubbed herself with soap in the bathroom, and came back. "You wanna see my dance, Mom?"

"Maybe after dinner. I have a lot to- actually, I think I've done everything. I'd love to see your dance, sweetheart." She turned around to face her daughter.

Claire switched on her radio, where she'd paused Beauty and a Beat. She whipped around to face Judi, put up one arm, the other, slow circle, then let the music change her mood from slow and careful to reckless.

"Yeah, Claire!" Judi clapped, pretending she was at a concert. Todd came around the corner and wolf-whistled.

"That was good, C," he complimented. "And you know I never say that."

"I know," Claire assured him sincerely, drawing a laugh from her family. "You want some brussels sprouts?"


End file.
